Tulpa – Let’s Make A Tulpa!

Tulpa are a Leeds four piece already making a lot of noise before even releasing a single. That might sound completely nuts, but word spread fast when Marc Riley and Gideon Coe invited them in for a BBC6 Music session this summer. That session showed what was brewing in the rehearsal room. Soon after, indie label Skep Wax heard their album and signed them immediately. Tulpa hadn’t put out a single song online, but people were already talking. That’s the kind of buzz that usually belongs to myth.

The name fits. A Tulpa is an idea made flesh, a being conjured through thought alone. Sometimes playful, sometimes menacing. It’s the perfect metaphor for a band who’ve appeared out of nowhere with a fully formed sound. Loud, sharp, catchy, impossible to ignore.

The band are Josie Kirk on bass and vocals, Daniel Hyndman (ex-Mush) and Myles Kirk on guitars and Mike Ainsley on drums. They’ve already supported Throwing Muses, Pale Blue Eyes and Bug Club, and they’ll be taking it on the road properly this autumn with headline dates. Tulpa are still brand new, but it feels like they’ve arrived fully alive.

The debut single ‘Let’s Make A Tulpa!’ wastes no time. A wiry guitar figure sets the pace, the band snapping in around it, and then Kirks vocal lands clear and confident. The melody is instant and the verses keep things tight, just enough space to build tension, before the chorus blows the doors off. That’s the moment you grin, because it’s massive. Crunchy guitars, Josie’s voice cutting through, everything locked into a hook big enough to rattle your walls. It’s got that Veruca Salt kinda swagger, loose but razor sharp, and it dares you not to move.

You’re left thinking: if this is the opening shot, what does the rest of the record sound like? That’s the clever part. They’ve built a single that’s more than a teaser. It’s a fully rounded song, a rush of pop noise that stands tall on its own, while also pointing toward an album that could be even more uncontainable. I’ll be breaking the album down in full very soon so watch this space.

‘Let’s Make A Tulpa!’ is out now via Skep Wax. Follow the band on the Tulpa Bandcamp page.

You can follow Tulpa on social media here…

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Bandcamp