Ryan Albert during Babehoven set

Emotions were high. Tears were shed. It was an incredible night in San Francisco, where Slow Pulp graced us with their presence for the first time at The Chapel since opening for a different band several years prior. Since then, Slow Pulp has skyrocketed to indie stardom, boasting a monthly 1.6 million listeners on Spotify. They are currently touring the US and Europe to spotlight their latest record Yard (2023). Slow Pulp is the brainchild of Teddy Mathews (drums), Alex Leeds (bass/vocals), and Henry Stoehr (guitar), who met when they were children and decided to start a band. Frontwoman Emily Massey joined the musical group for their second big project, EP2 (creative naming on their part). Slow Pulp has cemented themselves in the indie rock scene ever since. Their work is very distinctive from other artists in the genre, as it’s a beautiful amalgamation of folk, indie rock, and shoegaze elements with masterful production by Stoehr and writing by Massey. The band transcends your stereotypical sad-girl-indie work—instead, they create a genre-blurring sound that paints intricate emotional landscapes and delivers a deeply visceral aural experience. 

The night began with Babehoven’s set; Slow Pulp could not have chosen a better opener. They started their set with “Break the Ice,” their most streamed song off of their debut album, Light Moving Time (2022). I was instantly moved. Frontwoman Maya Bon enchanted the audience with her hauntingly soft vocals and strumming on the acoustic guitar. Accompanied by collaborator Ryan Albert on electric guitar, they jammed their way through their discography. The people came for Slow Pulp, but certainly left the venue adding Babehoven’s music to their  libraries. 

Their most notable pieces were “Stapling,” “Fugazi,” and “Chariot.” The performance of “Stapling” during their set scratched my brain in all of the right places thanks to Albert’s addition of extra distorted guitar that was not present on the recording of the song. Both “Fugazi” and “Chariot” brought a warm yet wistful energy to the room—everyone swayed along throughout. Beyond their music, Babehoven’s mannerisms were so enjoyable to watch. The band began each song leaning into each other, with Bon setting the tempo of every song with a few measures of muted chords. Bon sipped on a mug of tea between songs, taking the time to advocate for the humanitarian crisis happening in Gaza. Right before their last song, Albert remarked to the crowd, “it’s Maya Eve!” so the crowd erupted into song and sang her “Happy Birthday.” Babehoven ended their set with “Often” leaving the crowd anxiously awaiting Slow Pulp’s entrance. 

Slow Pulp set the mood with “Slugs” and the audience came ready to sing. The band powered through the first few songs, and their guitar pedals never stopped echoing. I never in my life anticipated headbanging in an indie crowd, but that is exactly what ensued during “Doubt,” a hypnotic, moody rock piece. The crowd devoured every second. As the band tuned their guitars, Emily did some crowd work. “Anyone else here on their period?” she asked with a smirk. A few people whooped. 

“Can you guess what song is next?” Emily said. 

The audience screeched: “Cramps!”  

Slow Pulp began the song and thus brought renewed energy into the room. The Mannequin Pussy-esque piece is filled with pouty vocals, screaming, and (naturally) insanely loud guitars. The entire band truly looked like they were having the time of their lives. There was not a single person who sat still. The crowd went absolutely wild for “Broadview” when Emily pulled out a harmonica in the middle of the song, accentuating the Southern, slow-as-molasses energy of the song.

Emily Massey performing during Slow Pulp set

I felt a massive dopamine rush as they began “MUD,” admittedly my favorite track on Yard. “MUD” is a poignant masterpiece about the growing pains of leaving childhood, shot through with the looming end of a relationship, and every person in the audience felt the pain of the song. Emily reached new vocal heights and wowed the room with the range that she exhibited. As they neared the “end” of their set, Emily played “Fishes,” the final track in Yard. It was a beautiful moment, as it was only her vocals and guitar that flooded the room. The other band members sat and watched her masterful performance. As they made their way off the stage, the crowd cheered relentlessly, waiting for the encore. 

Slow Pulp finished off their set with crowd-pleaser “High,” off of their EP Big Day (2019). Emily prompted the audience to join her in the chorus, where Henry, Teddy, and Alex saturated the air with wonderful instrumental noise. It was certainly an out-of-body experience. Even though my “limbs were feeling lazy” by the end of the evening, I feel so happy to have shared that time with Babehoven and Slow Pulp. They are making huge waves in the indie/rock scene and the buzz surrounding both groups at the moment will only become louder. 

Go stream their art immediately. 

 

Article by Sofia Biagio

Photos by Tyler Webb

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