Remember when albums used to be just 10 tracks long and lasted just over half an hour? Windy City groovers Slow Pulp are of the opinion that less is more on their expertly crafted, melancholic yet simultaneously throwaway new release ‘Yard’.
Slow Pulp’s core of Henry Stoehr (guitar), Teddy Matthews (drums), and Alex Leeds (bass) have been together since childhood and clearly know each other inside out musically. The addition of Emily Massey (voice/guitar) hooking up with them at Uni, added a much-needed focal point and it’s evident the quartet trust each other implicitly.
The follow-up to debut long player ‘Movies’ and released on Andy Kaulkin’s super-cool American indie label ANTI-, hastily re-recorded opener ‘Gone 2’ proves that you can always change your mind at the last minute if the need arises. The bluesy twin guitar assault wraps around Massey’s yearning vocal in a slow propulsive groove and as you hear the delicate fade out, one’s first thought is ‘Who cares what the first version sounded like’! The hip swinging hook laden ‘Doubt’ belies its slightly neurotic theme whereas slow burner ‘Slugs’ with its alluringly woozy outro, contains a riff from an old song inspired by one of Stoehr’s first school crushes.
The second half of ‘Yard’ feels more downbeat than the first, starting with the guilt laden introspection on the album’s title track. Featuring a matter-of-fact Massey vocal with just piano for company, the sparseness is then complemented by soothing strings of resignation on ‘Carina Phone 1000’, acting as a kind of antidote. Breakup track ‘MUD’ is a fine slice of 90s sounding grunge before a left turn into the pure Americana of ‘Broadview’, complete with pedal steel guitar and harmonica, taking you completely by surprise. These longer closing tracks may point to a more mature future direction of Slow Pulp as they continue to spread their wings musically.
We can only hope.
Words - Mike Price