(Photo Credit - Alec Basse)
Advance Review - Slow Pulp: Moveys (October 9, 2020)
Trying to find a way to describe how it made me feel, I listened to Moveys, Slow Pulp’s debut album, multiple times. The first listen, I thought it was slower than albums I would typically be drawn to. It reminded me of that uncomfortable pace between walking and sauntering. “One way or the other,” I thought because I had a hard time staying in step. However, after getting through the entire album, I began to think, “Maybe that was what they were going for. They were reproducing the wide range of emotions that came to a head during the pandemic.”
After my second listen, I began to hear Sheryl Crow. I thought this during “Trade It,” the second song on the album. Growing up in the eighties and nineties, I loved “All I Wanna Do” and “Strong Enough.” The further I got into the album, the more I thought it was a good transitional album for high schoolers. Again, this goes back to my youth, making that transition from a high school student and pop music fan to a college kid and indie and alt-rock follower. It is pop enough, like in “At It Again,” to be on the radio but still has that alt/indie flavor.
Driving home from work today, thinking about this album and what I was going to write, I wondered if I was wrong about the transition. Maybe Slow Pulp isn’t trying to move from pop but towards it. Perhaps they are trying to find commercial success and radio play. “Channel 2” is one of those songs. It sounds like something I’ve heard before, but it is also its own thing.
I don’t know where I stand with this album. Maybe that is bad, but maybe it is also good. I have listened to it many times trying to get my thoughts together: the whole thing through, just a song here and there, and sometimes just bits and bites. However, the fact that I have given it multiple listens makes Moveys a success as far as I am concerned.
Final Thought: Maybe I couldn’t find an identity because this band is trying to find one. And that is ok. This is just their debut album. They are already touring in Europe, so I guess they are in it. The identity will come. Look at Radiohead. They didn’t know where they wanted to be. And as they continue to evolve, the fans get to watch their growth. That is part of the fun.
In Moveys, we don’t hear Slow Pulp step outside of their comfort zone until the song “Movey,” which then stands completely alone.
Favorite songs: “Track,” “At It Again,” and “Movey.”
Rating - 3.3/5 (This gives them plenty of room to evolve.)