High Pulp Debut Track From New Album 'Pursuit of Ends'

Drawing on punk rock, shoegaze, hip-hop, and electronic music, Seattle's High Pulp will release 'Pursuit of Ends', their first album with ANTI- Records, this Friday. Ahead of the album's release they have shared the track "You've Got To Pull It Up From The Ground" Feat. Theo Croker.

" "Pull It Up" is really a concept that is at the core of the band," explained drummer Bobby Granfelt. "It's sort of about magic, sort of about will, sort of about self-love. It's a concept based in the idea that things are already where they need to be, and it's about unearthing what is already there as opposed to creating something 'new'."

"During COVID we spent a lot of time listen to Miles Davis' Second Quintet, and specifically the drum solo at the start was inspired by 'Agitation' off of E.S.P.," Granfelt added. "There's something about that quintet that is so awe-inspiring. I think it's the way they have such a deep shared concept which allows them to improvise in a meaningful way."

High Pulp's brand of experimental jazz is both vintage and futuristic all at once, hinting at times to everything from Miles Davis and Duke Ellington to Aphex Twin and My Bloody Valentine. The songs here balance meticulous composition with visceral spontaneity, and the performances are nothing short of virtuosic, fueled by raw, ecstatic horn runs ducking and weaving their way around thick bass lines and dizzying percussion.

Born out of a loose, weekly jam session hosted at Seattle's historic Royal Room, the band came together the way a good heist crew might. There is keyboardist Antoine Martel, a mad scientist with a wall of modular synthesizers and a passion for film scores and abstract soundscapes; keyboardist Rob Homan, whose innate ability to process, deconstruct, and reassemble material on the fly bordered on the scary; bassist Scott Rixon, a convert from the metal and hardcore world with impeccable pop sensibilities and a selfless ability to serve the song; tenor saxophonist Victory Ngyuen, a Pharoah Sanders acolyte with an ear for urgent, entrancing solos of the highest order; alto saxophonist Andrew Morrill, whose bold tones and fearless harmonic sensibilities earned him a reputation for pushing the old school into the 21st century; and last but not least, Granfelt, whose hip-hop- and bebop-inspired drumming laid the foundation for the entire project.

"When you put us all together, our sound isn't so much a fusion as it is a synthesis," says Granfelt. "There's a lot of different personalities coming from a lot of different places, and we use it all as fuel to create something that's totally our own."

This Friday's album release day also kicks off a month long tour for the band with Jared Mattson, half of The Mattson 2. Together they will perform across the country in San Francisco, Austin, Chicago, Boston and many other cities. All upcoming dates are listed below.

Listen to the new single here:

Tour Dates

4/15 - Chico, CA - Duffy's Tavern
4/16 - Sacramento, CA - Starlet Room#
4/18 - Reno, NV - The Loving Cup#
4/19 - Oakland, CA - Starline Social Club#
4/20 - San Luis Obispo, CA - SLO Brew Rock#
4/22 - Albuquerque, NM - SixOSix Gallery#
4/23 - El Paso, TX - Love Buzz#
4/24 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger#
4/25 - Austin, TX - Mohawk#
4/26 - Ft. Worth, TX - Main at South Side#
4/28 - Kansas City, MO - miniBar#
4/30 - Norman, OK - Norman Music Festival#
5/3 - Chicago, IL - Schubas#
5/4 - Minneapolis, MN - Hook & Ladder#
5/5 - Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel#
5/7 - Cincinnati, OH - MOTR#
5/8 - Pittsburgh, PA - Government Center#
5/11 - Boston, MA - Middle East @ ZUZU#
5/12 - New York, NY - NUBLU#
5/15 - Washington DC - The Pocket#
5/16 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's#
5/17 - Lancaster, PA - American Bar & Grill#
5/19 - Atlanta, GA - 529 Bar#
5/20 - Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor#
5/21 - Nashville, TN - The Basement#
5/26 - New Orleans, LA - Gasa Gasa#

# - with Jared Mattson

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