Slow Pulp played Brighton Music Hall – 11/3

Indie outfit Slow Pulp sold out BMH for a Friday night show with support from Babehoven.

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I first caught Chicago’s Slow Pulp when they warmed things up for Alvvays at last fall’s Roadrunner gig, and came away impressed. Fast-forward a year and their new LP Yard is sneakily becoming one of my favorite indie records of 2023, and the band have embarked on a headlining tour of their own to support it. Friday night’s date at Brighton Music Hall was as packed as it gets, and a testament to how many other folks have clearly caught on to the band’s charms in recent months.

Slow Pulp trade in the sort of grungy dream-pop that can satisfy ’90s guitar-indie heads and bedroom pop aficionados alike, and executed the full breadth of that sound across an 18-song set that seamlessly pivoted from the sparse and delicate to a shoegazing crunch. Typically a four-piece, the lineup expanded to a quintet on this tour, coloring the songs with additional keys and guitar to enchanting effect. The end result earns one of my (overused? but complimentary) comparisons to a Twin Peaks roadhouse act. (That notion was reinforced by the fact that Brighton has a bit of a roadhouse vibe to it, especially from the side-stage vantage point that was one of the only free spaces in the room to watch after our time in the pit; the kids really showed out for this one).

Openers Babehoven orbited in more of a cosmic Americana corner of the same sonic universe, which made them a great and well-received match for the bill. Scroll below for a gallery from both sets.