The songs on Slow Pulp’s second studio album, Yard, revolve around feelings of isolation and trust. Indeed, a melancholic haze permeates the album as singer Emily Massey grapples with learning to be alone. “Could you want me tomorrow/Or is it gone?” she cries on the opening track, “Gone 2,” hinting at the themes she’ll go on to explore throughout.
Because of Covid restrictions, the vocals for Slow Pulp’s first studio album, Moveys, were recorded in Massey’s father’s home studio, and the band did the same on Yard. This might explain why Massey’s vocals, even at their bleakest, are so distinctly warm and intimate: “Yet another full moon that I missed this year,” she laments on “Mud.”
And similar to Moveys, the songs on Yard alternate between mellow acoustic ballads and fuzzy pop-punk anthems. But whereas the earlier album was full of light, poppy beats, there’s more nuance to be found in the saturated, driving hooks of Yard’s songs. In contrast to the ringing noise and thick chords of tracks like “Worm,” the serene strumming of “Carina Phone 1000” lends a folky twang to the proceedings, while “Broadview” wholeheartedly embraces that style with weepy pedal steel, droning harmonica notes, and lively banjo.
Radiant guitar melodies and thrilling drum fills are weaved throughout the album’s more upbeat tracks. “Cramps” offers a bristling, saturated guitar refrain, while “Slugs” takes the distortions to the next level with more reverb and vocal fuzz. Even in these moments, though, Massey’s lyrics never fail to cut deep: “Am I not enough or too much?” she begs on the aptly titled “Doubt.”
While Yard’s first half exposes Massey’s vulnerabilities, the back half finds her seeking comfort in self-acceptance. “Sink and swim and/Sink it all again/I’ve gotta catch myself this time,” she sings on the gentle “Fishes,” a song about finding contentment in solitude. On an album about searching for love and trust in others, it’s fitting that, in the end, she finds it in herself.
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