Yard [CD]

On Yard, Wisconsin-bred, Chicago-based four-piece Slow Pulp nes- tles comfortably into pockets of nuance, impressions, contradictions— sonics and lyrics finessed together to bottle the specific tension of a feeling you’ve never quite been able to find the right words for. In that regard, listening to Slow Pulp can feel like being in a room with someone who’s known you so long that they can read your every micro-expression and pinpoint exactly how you’re feeling before you can. Perhaps this spawns from the band’s own shared history and chemistry; in various ways, the four of them grew up—are still grow- ing up—together.

The dreamy songs of the Midwest indie rock outfit draw on moody shoegaze, hooky grunge, and intimate lo-fi fare. The band made their full-length debut with Moveys in 2020. After the downcast 2021 7” Deleted Scenes, they put the focus on hooky grunge pop for singles like 2021’s “In Too Deep” and 2023’s “Cramps.” Yard is their second full-length album and first for ANTI-.