Album review
Chicago-based band Slow Pulp have announce their new album and ANTI- debut, Yard. The follow-up to 2020’s Moveys is slated for release on September 29, and it includes the previously released song ‘Cramps’. New single ‘Slugs’ arrives today along with a music video created by Jakob Lazovick and Rich Smith. Check it out below, and scroll down for the album cover (by Henry Stoehr), tracklist, and Slow Pulp’s upcoming tour dates.
“‘Slugs,’ put simply, is about falling in love in the summertime,” vocalist/guitarist Emily Massey explained in a statement. “The song lives in that place where the newness and freshness of getting to know someone turns into a tinge of fear because you realize how much you have come to care about them. I tend to get so overtaken in feelings of uncertainty or impermanence when it comes to relationships. Probably due to having rocky foundations or complications in them in the past. But suddenly, for the first time, I found myself in something that felt safe, with healthy attachment and mutual admiration, and the inevitability of uncertainty became more easily accepted. I think it’s so sweet that the song found this full circle moment in the timelessness of different types of firsts in love.”
While finishing Moveys in isolation, Massey temporarily moved back home and recorded vocals with her dad, Michael, in his small studio. The band recorded vocals Michael again on Yard, which was their only option at the time. “Working together, we can be very honest with each other in a way that I wouldn’t be able to do with a stranger or a producer that’s not my family,” Massey said. “He already has so much context for what the songs are about, knowing my life so intimately. He is able to be very direct, saying things I often don’t want to hear but need to hear. I think it often leads to getting the best takes out of me.”
Yard first started coming together in February 2022 when Massey was staying alone at a friend’s family cabin in northern Wisconsin. “Part of what we discovered is that taking that time to be intentionally isolated is really important, as is being more collaborative at other times,” bassist Alex Leeds commented. “We’ve learned a lot about balancing and being intentional about that through this process.”
Yard Cover Artwork:
Yard Tracklist:
1. Gone 2
2. Doubt
3. Cramps
4. Slugs
5. Yard
6. Carina Phone 1000
7. Worm
8. MUD
9. Broadview
10. Fishes
Slow Pulp 2023 Tour Dates:
Wed Oct 04 – Milwaukee, WI – Colectivo – Backroom ^
Thu Oct 05 – Minneapolis, MN – Amsterdam Hall ^
Fri Oct 06 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown ^
Sun Oct 08 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall ^
Tue Oct 10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court ^
Thu Oct 12 – Seattle, WA – Neumos ^
Fri Oct 13 – Vancouver, BC – The Pearl on Granville ^
Sat Oct 14 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theatre ^
Mon Oct 16 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel ^
Wed Oct 18 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom ^
Fri Oct 20 – San Diego, CA – Voodoo ^
Sat Oct 21 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room ^
Sun Oct. 22 – Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge ^
Tue Oct 24 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall ^
Wed Oct 25 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada ^
Thu Oct 26 – Austin, TX – The Parish ^
Sat Oct 28 – Atlanta, GA – Purgatory ^
Sun Oct 29 – Durham, NC – Motoco ^
Mon Oct 30 – Washington, DC – Union Stage ^
Tue Oct 31 – Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry ^
Wed Nov 1 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom ^
Fri Nov 3 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall ^
Mon Nov 6 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz ^
Tue Nov 7 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern ^
Fri Nov 10 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theater ^
Sat Nov 11 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall ^
Wed Nov 29 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club #
Thu Nov 30 – Liverpool, UK – Jimmy’s #
Fri Dec 1 – Glasgow, UK – The Hug and Pint #
Sat Dec 2 – Dublin, IR – The Workman’s Club #
Mon Dec 4 – Manchester, UK – YES (Basement) #
Tue Dec 5 – Bristol, UK – Strange Brew #
Wed Dec 6 – London, UK – MOTH Club #
Thu Dec 7 – Brighton, UK – The Green Door Store #
Sat Dec 9 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso Upstairs
Sun Dec 10 – Antwerp, BE – TRIX #
Mon. Dec 11 – Paris, FR – L’International #
Wed Dec 13 – Berlin, DE – Badehaus Szimpla #
Thu Dec 14 – Leipzig, DE – Conne Island #
Fri Dec 15 – Schorndorf, DE – Manufaktur #
Sat Dec 16 – Munster, DE – Gleis 22 #
^ with Babehoven
# with PACKS
