Review: Slow Pulp - 'Deleted Scenes' EP

Slow Pulp is releasing a 7″ on Friday, June 25, called Deleted Scenes. The vinyl will have two tracks: At It Again (Again) and Iowa. We’ve had a chance to hear these songs, thanks to our friends at Winspear. Moveys was a favorite album of our of 2020, so we’re excited to dive into this EP.

The first single, which has been released, is an acoustic version of the heavily saturated At It Again. This take combines twelve-string acoustic, six-string acoustic, a palm muted electric, and an electric guitar running through a tremolo pedal. Emily Massey‘s vocals are pristine, elevated by light harmonies. A very soft oscillating tone (either a guitar running through a chorus pedal, or a soft synth) fills the space behind the music, giving the song a really nice color.

Iowa is actually an acoustic version of Idaho, a favorite song from Moveys. Right away we notice Iowa is played at the same tempo as Idaho. Acoustic tracks are panned hard left and right, palm muted guitar softly comes in, panned halfway to the right. A tremolo electric tone comes in the right ear, placed in the perfect space, listing on the vibe of the song. The drums are quite saturated, giving it a lo-fi feel, and a twelve-string acoustic comes in to play the unforgettable guitar melody.

What’s most intriguing about the song is that the vocals appear to be the original takes, but pitch shifted to a lower key. This could very well be due to the way the pandemic interrupted the band from tracking Moveys together. Regardless, it’s a cool sound, and explains why the song is the same tempo as Idaho. (If I’m wrong about the vocals, someone correct me.)

Emily Massey explained to NME that the song is about “learning how to accept other people’s love when you don’t love yourself.” The vibe of this acoustic version perfectly portrays this.