"Yard" - Slow Pulp Album Review
Written by Esosa Zuwa
With Emily Massey on vocals, Alex Leeds on bass, Teddy Matthews on drums, and Henry Stoehr on guitar, Slow Pulp, the Chicago-based quartet, builds upon their dream-pop, indie shoegaze sound put-forth in their 2020 album Moveys.
The album begins with ‘Gone 2’, a country-infused, dark rock song, all about desire and wanting someone to express their love to you when they don’t reciprocate. “I’m living in between feelings/Climb a wall, keep falling down/Hoping it would be different/Where’s your hand? Now pull me out,” says the lyrics in a state of longing.
“Doubt”, a synth, chill punk song, and “Cramps” a 2000s rock soundtrack song, share a similar message of wanting validation from people about the things you may dislike about yourself and looking at features you wish you had in other people, creating a different character of yourself, turning into a cycle of self-doubt.
“What if I tell you say/You’ll be playing in my head/’Cause you’re a summer hit/I’m singing it,” we hear in “Slugs”. It’s a balmy, shoegaze, dreamy indie song about falling in love in the summer, and the impulsive and youthful joy that comes before you realize you care for them.
The title track “Yard”, is a slow, almost-ballad piano song, written like a apology letter, short and sweet, with a mesh of voices. It’s a personal apology to a singer to a loved one, assuring them that they will care when they need it the most. “I’ve been crying in the yard/The grass is yellow and it hurts my arms/Wanna burn it up? Wanna watch a show? Come on let’s go/They put the house for sale sign up/Did you know that I cared that much?”
The next track, “Carina Phone 1000” is also a slow guitar ballad, about longing and isolation, before getting an almost telepathic call from someone else. “Worm” is also about longing, as the chill-metal rendition tends to deal with uncertainty in a new relationship. However, one might grow out of that relationship, as “MUD” sounds like an anthemic climax while also being an indie ballad. “Can’t be this alone and stay so clear/Wanna be an astronaut ad get out of here/’Cause I miss you dear,” as it sounds like a plead to both want to stay and leave a relationship that is meeting is an inevitable end because you weren’t the right fit. “Broadview” sonically changes it up with a slow, country-inspired tune. It’s about letting yourself fall in love for the first time in a long time.
The album ends with “Fishes”, a slow and sweet guitar ending with an analog sound at the end. “Maybe I kinda like myself/But only when I’m alone/Take the sugar out of the water/It’s sweetest on its own/Sink and swim, and sink and swim/And ink it all again,” the lyrics say, finally being free to choose oneself and love themself, so they won’t search for it in others.
Yard builds upon that sound with influences on more gritty indie rock, ballad-forward sounds, and folk and western-infused melodies. It solidifies their chill, laid-back sound by mixing 90s grunge and introspective, quiet melodies of folk music. They are more assured with their sound this time. From feelings of melancholy to joy, to introspective feelings, Yard lays it all down, a musically diverse backdrop full of complex emotions.
