Slow Pulp

Slow Pulp

Slow Pulp is an indie rock group active since 2015. The band forms in Madison and Chicago and consists of Emily Massey, Alex Julian Leeds, Teddy Mathews and Henry Stoehr. Its lineup includes Massey on vocals and guitar, Leeds on bass and vocals, Stoehr on guitar, and Mathews on drums.

Style and background

The group’s sound sits within bedroom pop and indie rock, with songs that also draw on shoegaze, grunge and lo-fi elements. The project begins with Stoehr, Leeds and Mathews making music together from the sixth grade, first under a name formed from the letters of their first names. Emily Massey joins later in high school, contributing guitar and backing vocals to the band’s second EP before becoming the lead singer. The earlier debut EP is then removed from the project.

Releases

Slow Pulp’s first full-length album is Moveys, released in 2020 on Winspear. Before that, the band puts out the stand-alone tracks “At Home” and “Steel Birds” in 2018, followed by the Big Day EP in 2019. Big Day is written and mostly recorded in a cabin in Michigan in January 2019. The band also releases Yard in 2023 and Melodie in 2026.

Recording and touring

While working on Moveys, the band tours with Alex G. The recording process is shaped by changing plans and personal difficulties, including scrapped material, Massey’s health problems, and her return to Madison to help her parents after a car accident. Travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic also affect the project. Stoehr acts as the main engineer, producer and mixer for the album, with Massey’s father Michael contributing an instrumental piano track.