British indie-pop icons Pulp, led by enigmatic frontman Jarvis Cocker, announced that they are set to release their first new album in 24 years. The group best known for 1990s hits “Common People” and “Disco 2000” said the 11-track “More” will be released by Rough Trade Records on June 6. The album, the band’s first since “We Love Life” in 2001, is dedicated to the group’s former bass guitarist Steve Mackey, who died in March 2023 aged 56.

Cocker, 61, said in a statement published on Rough Trade’s website the album was recorded over three weeks in northeast London from the middle of November last year. “This is the shortest amount of time a Pulp album has ever taken to record. It was obviously ready to happen,” he said, adding that “no AI was involved during the process”. Providing a taster, Pulp on Thursday released the album’s opening track, “Spike Island” - their first new single in over a decade.

The band said the song was inspired by English rock band The Stone Roses’ famous 1990 concert of the same name. Pulp formed in 1978, but struggled for years before finding success during the Britpop era of the 1990s. 

Their breakthrough album “His ‘n’ Hers” was released in 1994 and contained their first UK top 40 single “Do You Remember The First Time?”

They followed it up the following year with “Different Class”, which boasted the era-defining singles “Common People” and “Disco 2000”. The tracks reached number two and number seven in the UK charts, respectively. Pulp have broken up and reformed at least twice in the 2000s. They have announced tour dates in Glasgow, Dublin, London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Sheffield -- their home town -- in June to promote the new album.  - AFP