More (Pulp album)
2025 studio album by Pulp
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More (stylised as More.) is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pulp, released on 6 June 2025 on Rough Trade Records. Produced by James Ford, it is the band's first studio album in twenty-four years following We Love Life (2001) and is their first album since Freaks (1987) without bass guitarist Steve Mackey, who died in 2023.[2] Mackey is credited as a co-writer on two songs.
| More | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 6 June 2025 | |||
| Recorded | Late 2024[1] | |||
| Studio | Orbb, London | |||
| Length | 50:16 | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Producer | James Ford | |||
| Pulp chronology | ||||
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| Singles from More | ||||
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The returning four core members of Pulp – vocalist Jarvis Cocker, keyboardist Candida Doyle, drummer Nick Banks and guitarist Mark Webber – were joined in the studio by touring members Andrew McKinney (bass guitar), Emma Smith (violin) and Adam Betts (various instruments), who had previously worked with Cocker on his solo project Jarv Is and its 2020 studio album, Beyond the Pale. Current Pulp touring violist Richard Jones also contributed to the recording process.
Released to widespread critical acclaim, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's first number one album in over twenty-seven years, since the release of This Is Hardcore in 1998.[3]
Artwork
The cover by graphic designer Julian House is based on a photograph taken by Jarvis Cocker in the afternoon on 15 July 2024 near Kerlingarfjöll, Iceland whilst out for a walk on holiday with his son, Albert.[4] The original picture was modified to show cardboard cutouts of band members from the cover of Pulp's Different Class (1995).[5]
Promotion and singles
The lead single, "Spike Island", was released on 10 April 2025, accompanied with a music video.[1] It reached number 26 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart the following June,[6] marking the first time that a Pulp song had appeared on any radio airplay chart in the United States.[7] The song received a 7" vinyl release with non-album B-side "Open Strings" on 23 May 2025[8] and subsequently topped the UK Physical Singles chart.[9]
The second single, "Got to Have Love", was released on 22 May 2025 with a music video that included footage of dancers from the Tony Palmer documentary The Wigan Casino (1977).[10]
Following the release of More in June,[10] Pulp revealed the third single, "Tina", on 21 July 2025. Like the previous singles, the song was accompanied by a music video by Julia Schimautz of DTAN Studio, Berlin, with lyrics animated by Gaussian Studio.[11]
To promote the album, the band embarked on the Here Comes More Tour, their most extensive tour since the 1990s. Like with the album, the tour received overwhelmingly positive reviews.
Release
More was released on 6 June 2025[10] and subsequently debuted at no. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, their third album to do so following Different Class (1995) and This Is Hardcore (1998).[3][9] Although it failed to chart on the US-based Billboard 200,[12] the album did take a position on the Billboard Independent Albums chart, at no. 43.[13]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.0/10[14] |
| Metacritic | 83/100[15] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [16] |
| Clash | 9/10[17] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[18] |
| The Guardian |  [19] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 9/10[20] |
| Mojo | [21] |
| MusicOMH | [22] |
| Pitchfork | 7.5/10[23] |
| Record Collector | [24] |
| Rolling Stone | [25] |
On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, More received an average score of 83, based on 23 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[15] Another review aggregator, AnyDecentMusic?, gave the album an 8.0 out of 10, based on 31 critical ratings.[14]
In a review for AllMusic, Heather Phares wrote that after Different Class, "Pulp attempted to put as much distance between themselves and Britpop as they could; on More, they bridge that gap with integrity.... [Cocker] and the rest of the band may be older, but they never sound as weary as they did on This Is Hardcore and We Love Life.... More is classic Pulp, aged to near perfection."[16] In a 7.5/10 Pitchfork review, Nina Tavakoli wrote "though the album still has grounding in big fat basslines and BPMs that occasionally flirt with disco, the distinct chug of longtime bassist Steve Mackey... is missing all over", then adding "But Pulp remains resolutely Pulpy, and the ingredients and pillars that are absent are outpaced by what still is."[23] Awarding the album 4 stars out of 5, Mojo's John Mulvey stated, "If Pulp seem older and wiser – allbeit no less fun – now, they often seemed older and somewhat wiser than their Britpop peers in the 1990s", concluding that More "is greater than the sum of its fan service parts – that rarest of reunion records, in fact: one that transcends nostalgia to actually enhance a band’s legacy."[21]
Andrew Trendell of the NME awarded the album five stars, writing that it "is everything you'd want a Pulp album to be, made richer from some lived experience" and, after comparing it to Blur's The Ballad of Darren and Suede's post-reunion works, added that "Pulp have retained their original spirit and flair into a statement of middle age without feeling any less vital."[26] Ed Power of The Irish Times wrote that the album "isn't entirely a disaster: it won't ruin your memories of Pulp's glory days".[27]
Accolades
On 10 September 2025, More was announced as one of 12 nominees for the 2025 Mercury Prize.[28]
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| AllMusic | Best of 2025 | N/A | [29] |
| Favorite Alternative & Indie Albums | [30] | ||
| Classic Pop | The Best of 2025: New Albums | 8 | [31] |
| Classic Rock | Top 50 Albums of 2025 | 42 | [32] |
| Flood Magazine | The Best Albums of 2025 | 10 | [33] |
| The Guardian | The 50 Best Albums of 2025 | 16 | [34] |
| Hot Press | 50 Best Albums of 2025 | 15 | [35] |
| Les Inrockuptibles | Best of 2025: Music | 3 | [36] |
| Louder Than War | Top 100 Albums of 2025 | 15 | [37] |
| Mojo | The 75 Best Albums of 2025 | 1 | [38] |
| NME | The 50 Albums of 2025 | 16 | [39] |
| PopMatters | The 80 Best Albums of 2025 | 32 | [40] |
| The 30 Best Rock Albums of 2025 | 19 | [41] | |
| The Quietus | Albums of the Year 2025 | 95 | [42] |
| Record Collector | The Best of 2025: New Albums Top 25 | 2 | [43] |
| Rolling Stone | The 100 Best Albums of 2025 | 41 | [44] |
| The 55 Best Indie-Rock Albums of 2025 | 13 | [45] | |
| Rough Trade[A] | Albums of the Year 2025 | 3 | [47] |
| Uncut | Best New Albums of 2025 | 1 | [48] |
| Under the Radar | Top 100 Albums of 2025 | 3 | [49] |
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Jarvis Cocker, except "A Sunset" (written with the Earth); all music is composed by Nick Banks, Jarvis Cocker, Candida Doyle, Mark Webber, Jason Buckle, Andrew McKinney, and Emma Smith, with additional composers noted.[50]
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spike Island" | Adam Betts | 4:42 |
| 2. | "Tina" | Betts | 3:32 |
| 3. | "Grown Ups" | Steve Mackey | 5:56 |
| 4. | "Slow Jam" | Serafina Steer | 5:06 |
| 5. | "Farmers Market" | 4:30 | |
| 6. | "My Sex" | Betts | 4:25 |
| 7. | "Got to Have Love" ([a]) |
| 4:52 |
| 8. | "Background Noise" | 3:41 | |
| 9. | "Partial Eclipse" | Steer | 4:38 |
| 10. | "The Hymn of the North" (feat. Chilly Gonzales) | Betts | 5:40 |
| 11. | "A Sunset" ([b]) |
| 3:14 |
| Total length: | 50:16 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Open Strings" | 4:09 |
Notes
- "Got to Have Love" contains a sample from "Invention" by Nick Ingman.[51]
- The writing for "A Sunset" is co-credited to the Earth, which allows a portion of income generated to be allotted toward Brian Eno's charity initiative EarthPercent.[52]
Personnel
Credits adapted from the CD liner notes[51] and Tidal.[50]
Pulp
- Jarvis Cocker – vocals (all tracks), Dobro guitar (1), guitar (2–4), Wurlitzer piano (6), acoustic guitar (7), Korg Trident (8), classical guitar (9)
- Candida Doyle – Farfisa keyboard (1–5, 11), piano (6, 8, 10), Solina (7), synth (8), Korg Trident synth (9)
- Mark Webber – guitar (1, 4–11), electric guitar (2–3), piano (4)
- Nick Banks – drums (all tracks), Synare (6)
The Elysian Collective
- Emma Smith – violin (all tracks), 12 string Vox guitar (7), string arrangement (2–7, 9–10), choir vocals (2, 5–6, 9–10), backing vocals (1, 4)
- Rich Jones – conductor (2, 4–11), string arrangement (2–5, 7, 9–10), viola (1, 3–4, 6, 8, 11), piano (2, 4–5, 7, 9), backing vocals (3), keyboards (8)
- Laura Moody – cello (1–5, 7, 9–11), choir vocals (2, 5–6, 9–10), vocal arrangement (2, 5–6, 9, 11)
- Jennymay Logan – violin (1–5, 7, 9–10), choir vocals (2, 5–6, 9–10)
- Paloma Deike, Phil Granell, Rosie Tompsett – violin (2–7, 9–11)
- Sergio de Serra – cello (2–7, 9–11)
- Charlotte Stock – viola (2–7, 9–10), choir vocals (2, 5–6, 9–10)
- David Kadumukasa – cello (2–5, 7, 9–10), choir vocals (2, 5–6, 9–10)
- Shelley Britton, Zami Jalil – viola (2–5, 7, 9–10), choir vocals (2, 5–6, 9–10)
- Freya Goldmark – violin (2–5, 7, 9–10)
- Flora Curzon – choir vocals (2, 5–6, 9–10), violin (7, 10)
- Jordan Bergmans – viola (7, 10)
- Mandhira de Saram, Patrick Dawkins, Ros Stephen – violin (7, 10)
- Sam Becker – double bass (7, 10)
- Val Welbanks – cello (7, 10)
Additional musicians
- Andrew McKinney – bass (all tracks)
- Jason Buckle – electronics (all tracks), guitar (3–4)
- Chihiro Ono – violin (2–5, 7, 9–10)
- Adem Ilhan, Leo Chadburn, Mara Carlyle, Matthew Kerr – choir vocals (2, 5–6, 9–10)
- Adam Betts – Synare (1), percussion (2, 7, 10)
- Animesh Raval – piano (3–4), Wurlitzer (3)
- Serafina Steer – keyboard (4)
- Chilly Gonzales – piano (10)
- Richard Hawley – acoustic guitar (11)
- Brian Eno, Cecily Eno, Darla Eno, Irial Eno, Lotti Eno – vocals (11)
Technical and design
- James Ford – production
- Animesh Raval – engineering, mixing
- Matt Colton – mastering
- Julian House – design, image creation
- Jarvis Cocker – original landscape and studio shot photography, cover concept
- Rankin – cover band cut-outs
- Tom Jackson – LP back cover band and book back cover portrait
- Ashley Bayston – studio painting
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[70] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
Notes
- The year-end ranking of More by Rough Trade is by the retailer, as opposed to Rough Trade Records (the album's record label); while independent from each other, the label had originally been a part of the retailer.[46]