As
Pulp may have played their final reunion gigs last month during the Coachella cruises, we look back at the Sheffield bands sixth record, This is Hardcore. Released in 1998,
This is Hardcore, was the darkest, strangest, and deepest Pulp album ever made. The record, which took on everything from celebrity and fame to pornography and drugs and featured some of singer
Jarvis Cocker's most personal and challenging lyrics to date. It was the era that Britpop was in full bloom and
Blur and
Oasis were at the height of their careers and
The Verve released "Bittersweet Symphony," Pulp, who had gone strong since the 80's and one of the oldest Britpop bands, were being thrust into the international spotlight even more because of the second British invasion. With that in mind,
This is Hardcore was nearly a band trying to shy away from everything to do with Britpop and still stand out on their own, unfortunately, the press would not allow it. While the album received mixed reviews on its initial release, in 2006, the band released a deluxe edition of
This is Hardcore and reminded everyone, after the Britpop dust settled, this is a brilliant record. After the release of
This is Hardcore, the band released We Love Life in 2001 and broke up soon afterword. When they reunited in 2011, many of the songs performed during their acclaimed reunion gigs came from
This is Hardcore, a testament that years later, it still resonates with people and is a timeless, underrated classic.
