Slow Pulp’s Melodie begins with familiar sounds: a guitar and singer Emily Massey’s warm, powerful voice. Opener “Yellow and Green” is a slow-burning alt-rock cut, a sturdy indicator of what the band has cooked up on their 2026 album—their first since 2023’s Yard. Here, the band brings the influences of Chicago’s impressive indie-rock scene (where they now call home) with the folk and Americana roots harvested in their hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. “These Days” is balanced by wide-open drum toms and crunching acoustic guitar, as Massey asks, “Is this part of the city life?” “Red Car” is a buzzing post-punk cut, with the band cleverly using the hum of the propulsing bassline as a counterweight to the airy mysticism of Massey’s delivery. Slowly, her voice, backing vocals and the buzz of instrumental distortion coalesce into a spinning top of a song, one that perfectly captures the subtly powerful energy Slow Pulp has fully harnessed on Melodie. Our Favourite Track: the raw finale, “Slip Away”.