Slow Pulp – Spill
Madison-bred, Chicago-based Slow Pulp present “Spill,” the final single from their upcoming album, Melodie, out September 18th via ANTI-.
“Spill,” which follows the magnetic piano ballad “Not for Nothing” and “Better Man,” was actually the first song written while the band was working on their acclaimed 2023 album Yard, but it never fully clicked until producer Elliot Kozel came into the picture. “Once we started working on Melodie it felt like a song that could live within the world we were building, so it made it onto the album,” says Massey. “Spill” luminously demonstrates the “fuzzy kind of dream pop that scratches the brain with its muted textures” (New Yorker) that Slow Pulp has long been praised for.
Massey further explains: “The song itself is about feeling stuck in a pattern of casual relationships that felt they had some barrier to expressing real love. It’s that delicate dance where you wait for someone else to take the leap. Too afraid to say it too soon but also too afraid to say it too late, waiting to see how it will all play out.”
Slow Pulp is one of the most beloved bands in indie rock, championed by the likes of Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The New Yorker, Billboard, i-D, The Fader, and the Chicago Tribune, who hailed them as “one of the best young bands in the country.” They released their critically lauded sophomore album Yard in 2023 via ANTI- and channeled their momentum into a largely sold out headlining tour and their television debut on CBS Saturday Morning. Additionally, the band played Lollapalooza for the first time and supported Lucy Dacus, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Postal Service on their tours.
When Slow Pulp started the songs that comprise Melodie, they found themselves being reflective of their relationships and lives in the last few years. In most of their time living in Chicago, lyrics have mostly been helmed by Massey. For Melodie, Massey and Stoehr split writing duties, with five of Stoehr’s tracks ending up on the record. The two also teamed up on the album’s production, which was led by producer Elliot Kozel (Rosalía, Yves Tumor, Björk, SZA, Eartheater). Kozel is something of a Wisconsin legend, and Stoehr, Mathews, and Leeds had all grown up as fans of his old band, Sleeping in the Aviary. The collaboration of Kozel, Stoeher, and Massey led to a record that balances power-pop euphoria, acoustic heartbreak, and the ocean of sound between them.
The product of this collaboration is the reflective Melodie; a full circle, transformative album. “There’s a very cyclical energy to a lot of these songs,” Massey says. “There’s the sense of a full circle, tapping back into things and transforming through them,” Leeds furthers. A song is like that too, he believes: “not just a document of what you feel but also a vehicle for understanding how you feel.”
This fall, Slow Pulp will tour across North America and the UK/EU. Stateside tickets are going quickly, with San Francisco and Carrboro selling out over two months before their respective dates.
Slow Pulp Tour Dates
Sept. 24 – London, UK @ Rough Trade East
Fri. Oct. 16 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall %
Sat. Oct. 17 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown %
Mon. Oct. 19 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre ∞
Wed. Oct. 21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Grand at The Complex ∞
Fri. Oct. 23 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ∞ LOW TICKETS
Sat. Oct. 24 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox ∞ LOW TICKETS
Sun. Oct. 25 – Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall ∞
Tue. Oct. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore ∞ SOLD OUT
Wed. Oct. 28 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore ∞ NEW SHOW
Thu. Oct. 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern ∞ !
Fri. Oct. 30 – San Diego, CA @ Quartyard ∞ LOW TICKETS
Sat. Oct. 31 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom ∞
Tue. Nov. 3 – Dallas, TX @ The Echo Lounge & Music Hall ∞
Wed. Nov. 4 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s ∞ LOW TICKETS
Thu. Nov. 5 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall Downstairs ∞
Sat. Nov. 7 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse ∞
Sun. Nov. 8 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ∞
Mon. Nov. 9 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club $
Tue. Nov. 10 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry $
Thu. Nov. 12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer $
Fri. Nov. 13 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount $ *
Sat. Nov. 14 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner $ *
Mon. Nov. 16 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall $ LOW TICKETS
Tue. Nov. 17 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall $
Thu. Nov. 19 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed $+
Fri. Nov. 20 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue $
Sat. Nov. 21 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee $ #
Thu. Jan. 21 – Berlin, DE @ Columbia Theatre
Fri. Jan. 22 – Cologne, DE @ Gebaude 9
Sat. Jan. 23 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
Tue. Jan. 26 – Amsterdam, NL @ Tolhuistuin
Wed. Jan. 27 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo
Fri. Jan. 29 – Glasgow, UK @ Queen Margaret Union (QMU)
Sat. Jan. 30 – Dublin, IE @ The Button Factory
Tue. Feb. 2 – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
Thu. Feb. 4 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla
Fri. Feb. 5 – Leeds, UK @ Project House
Sat. Feb. 6 – London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town
% = Feller ∞ = Snuggle $ = Her New Knife ! = Goon * = Ivy # = Graham Hunt + = Current Union TM
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