Slow Pulp - Moveys Review
For an album that’s 11 tracks and 26 minutes in length it can at times feel a bit surprising that they managed to fit so much quality into this debut.
Slow Pulp are a band I’ve been following for a couple of years now. What initially grabbed me was their dreamy single ‘At Home’, released in 2018. Interestingly, the sound on their debut record ‘Moveys’, which was released this past week, echoes a similar sound. ‘Moveys’ is an album that’s almost instantly enjoyable due to Emily Massey’s gorgeous vocals, its rich production, and some warm, glossy instrumentation. It’s nice to see how this, once Wisconsin-based, now Chicago-based band have grown over the past two years.
The album opens with ‘New Horse’, a more acoustic opening than I was expecting. There’s something in those initial moments where you realise how far the band have come. Lyrically, this song tries to convey the change in emotion the writers have had with this project bringing more positivity than their previous releases. The ascending guitar strums of ‘Trade It’ conjure up a hard-to-place sense of nostalgia. I really love the bopping synth lines here, which bring something very 90s into the mix that persists throughout this album. Maybe it’s the slight grungy effects on the instrumentation. Either way, something about the musicality of this record really brings a nostalgic sense of warmth.
‘Idaho’, the lead single from this record, is definitely a shining point. The reverb-soaked guitars and thick bass tones throughout this track are so lush. Lyrically, this track speaks of being unable to accept love, resonating that lead singer Massey is ‘losing all the while’. There are moments on this record where I’m reminded of the band Forth Wanderers, except Slow Pulp write substantially stronger music with a lot more originality and diversity than the aforementioned band. ‘Track’ follows in the vein its predecessors but, unlike a lot of indie bands in the same niche, they really offer some diversity in songwriting. The broken guitar chord progression at the start and driving throughout the song is really well written. I also love the cute vocal harmonies and twee indie synth sounds towards the end. There’s something incredibly emo about ‘At It Again’, where you can’t help but feel this track would be more successful in the mid-2000s. The smooth acoustic guitar solos in the middle change the song completely, especially when the wavy electric guitars start to harmonise over them before abruptly ending. On ‘Channel 2’ Massey takes a step down from vocal duties to be replaced with Alex Leeds; this is a surprisingly nice change and further continues the emo vibes of the previous track to great effect.
The first half of this record is really strong. Disappointingly, It’s ‘Whispers (In the Outfield)’ where the album starts to fizzle out in quality. Gone are the lush sounds of the tracks that preceded it; instead we are left with a bizarre piano piece which would fit better on the Runescape soundtrack. Fortunately, they’re quick to turn it around with ‘Falling Apart’, one of the more emotionally intense tracks on the record. This was written during a difficult time for lead singer Massey, her parents unfortunately caught in a car accident, and our best wishes go out to them. Lyrically, you see the strength of Massey not ‘falling apart’ but you get the sense that it’s incredibly hard for her to put up this wall and that she doesn’t have to do so.
Like a lot of tracks on this record, ‘Montana’ captures that emotional intensity the band are so good at portraying in their music. I love the near-self-deprecating way it sounds like Massey is saying ‘I’m a cunt’ but it’s actually ‘I’m a cont-est’. There’s a real fragility in this track and the harmonica towards the end is a surprise but a warm and comforting addition to the track, giving it a rustic energy which is extrapolated with the further addition of sliding guitars.
The last track on the album, the titular track, ‘Movey’ is such a head scratcher. There’s this funky element to it that make you question why the album didn’t have more of this vibe to begin with. It kind of sounds like they’re saying “move it”, which kind of makes sense as an ending, almost telling the listener to move along as if you weren’t there, left confused as to whether you just listened to those more emotive tracks on the record.
This is a really enjoyable album. There are tonnes of standout moments that leave you wanting more, including the funky ending, the emotionally fragile ‘falling apart’, and the lush production and nostalgic vibes running through the first half of the record. My issue with this record is the lack of consistency. There are moments on this album that are truly outstanding. ‘Idaho’ is a great example of this. In fact, the record starts out remarkably strong but, after the first five tracks the album, seems to lose its direction and musical structure with songs like ‘Whispers (In The Outfield)’ leaving a dent in the consistency and coherence of the record. For an album that’s 11 tracks and 26 minutes in length it can at times feel a bit surprising that they managed to fit so much quality into this debut. However, with moments like ‘Movey’ and ‘Whispers (In The Outfield)’, you’re left with this sense of disappointment. Slow Pulp are definitely talented but seem to still lack the musical chops that they deserve to have to create a consistent, powerful record. However, for a debut, this record is really something special.
