Pulp - This Is Hardcore

Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker (vocals, guitar), Russell Senior (violin, guitar), Candida Doyle (keyboards), Mark Webber (guitar), Steve Mackey (bass), Nick Banks (drums) and Richard Hawley (guitar, backing vocals).

For the first 12 years of their existence, the band struggled to find success. At the turn of the decade, the group began to gain an audience, sparking a remarkable turn of events that made the band one of the most popular British groups of the '90s. By the time Pulp became famous, the band had gone through numerous different incarnations and changes in style, covering nearly every indie rock touchstone from post-punk to dance.

Their breakthrough came with the release of the single ‘Common People’ in May 1995 debuting at number two on the U.K. charts. The song was included in the album ‘Different Class ‘ which reached the number one spot in the UK Albums Chart. Three more Top 10 single came out of this album.

Pulp's signature sound is a fusion of David Bowie and Roxy Music's glam rock, disco, new wave, acid house, Europop, and British indie rock. The group's cheap synthesizers and sweeping melodies reflect the lyrical obsessions of lead vocalist Jarvis Cocker, who alternates between sex and sharp, funny portraits of working class misfits.

Jarvis Cocker and the band became major figures in the Britpop movement,winning the Mercury Music Prize in 1996 for Different Class. They also headlined the Pyramid Stage of the Glastonbury Festival twice.

Their next album, This is Hardcore, was not released for another three years in mixed reviews. After their last album We Love Life in 2001, the band entered an extended hiatus, with Cocker involving in a number of one-offs and side projects.

In January 2011, Cocker said that there is a possibility for the band's reunion.
As of October 2003, Pulp had sold over 10 million records.

"This Is Hardcore" was released on March 16, 1998 as the second single from their album This Is Hardcore. It charted at #12 in the UK Singles Chart. It uses a sample of "Bolero on the Moon Rocks" by the Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra.

Drum loops, lounge piano, cinematic strings, and a sharp lyric create a frightening monument to weary decadence. It's the centerpiece of the album, and the best moments follow its tone.