Tulpa – Monster Of The Week

Back in September we were first introduced to Tulpa. That first single, a sudden surge of interest from BBC 6 Music and a finished album landing on the desk of Skep Wax has propelled us here. The release of their debut album Monster Of The Week.

So, who are Tulpa? The line up is Josie Kirk on vocals and bass, Daniel Hyndman and Myles Kirk on guitar with Mike Ainsley on drums. They’re based out of Leeds but their sound taps into an American alt rock sound and the sound of young Scotland. They have played with Throwing Muses, Pale Blue Eyes and Bug Club. They have been winning over crowds on the DIY festival circuit with a wave of jangle pop, spiky indie rock and oddball storytelling that glows like a box of comics.

I went into Monster Of The Week already buzzing after the single ‘Let’s Make A Tulpa!’. That song had really raised my expectations on what this album was going to be. I mean, I expected the album to be fun and hooky. I don’t think it will surprise you that I was pleasantly surprised by how hooky it turned out to be.

The album opens with ‘Theme’, a short instrumental that feels like big hello. Guitars coil round each other in a looping pattern that hints at surf, sci fi and something slightly scorched. When the riff kicks in you can tell this band love Teenage Fanclub. It’s almost like Raymond has joined the band.

‘Transfixed Gaze’ steps in with a brighter jangle. Josie’s voice cuts through with something both sweet and resigned bringing to mind Clare Grogan. The song moves in tight circles, the guitars ringing like held breath. There is a tired sadness hidden inside the bounce, the kind that comes from living in a town that feels too small. The hook is instant, but the feeling underneath gives it weight.

Then ‘PSYOPs’ drifts into something looser and more hypnotic. The tempo cools. The guitars wobble and shimmer like an old TV signal. There is a repeated almost looped line in the throughout the song that hits like a weary confession, and it becomes the spine of the whole track. It’s when that lovely bass heavy guitar solo comes in that the song really breathes.

‘Pyro’ knocks everything sideways. Fast, sharp, jittery. A rush of guitars and a vocal that sounds thrilled and terrified at the same time. When the line “It is a nice day honey for burning everything” lands, it comes with a grin. It is sly, dangerous, a little gleeful. This is where the guitars start to snarl openly and I’m here for it.

‘Let’s Make A Tulpa!’ arrives like a familiar friend. The rhythm section locks in, the guitars crunch, and the chorus blows the roof off. There is real joy here. The song is a burst of colour, but it also hides something stranger underneath. The idea of conjuring a lover makes you smile at first, then sit up a bit straighter. It is both catchy and uncanny, which turns out to be Tulpa’s favourite trick.

The title track settles into a slacker sway. A different vocal tone steps forward here, more laconic, more shrugged than shouted. The Malkmus / Pavement influence is worn on the bands sleeve here. The groove behind it is warm and lazy, but the lyric carries the sting of someone who has lived through too many bad weeks in a row.

‘Stick Figure Boy’ stretches out into a slow-motion sprawl. You get a cartoon character drawn in thick black lines. The band lean into the looseness, letting the guitars wander without ever losing shape. This track is as much about the space left than the melody itself.

‘You are Living In A Reverie’ switches the tone. Bright guitars. A vocal that feels half exasperated, half in awe. The lyric pulls together talk of permanence, legacy, and strange leaps into fantasy, then drops the simple invitation “Let us take a ride on a UFO baby somewhere in a dream.” That lands with a grin.

‘Amateur Hour’ softens everything. Stripped back, clear and open. Kirk sounds exposed here. The line “I left your heart to starve” lands like a small, quiet punch. This is as close to a ballad as your likely to get from this band.

Then Tulpa slam you back into the noise with ‘Raw Nerve’, all sharp edges and frantic momentum. The guitars scrape and jab, the drums hammer forward, and the tension runs high enough that you can practically feel it in your teeth. It is the wildest track on the album, and it earns that energy.

‘Whose Side Are You On?’ closes things out with a gentle sprawl. A laconic vocal, a loose sway, a chorus that sits somewhere between a shrug and a plea. There is a moment mid song where the line “I hoard dreams like antiques” floats past, and that felt like the whole album in one breath. This is music made by people who live half in the real world and half in some glowing inner place where stories mutate and feelings grow teeth.

Tulpa have made an album that feels playful on the surface but full of shadows beneath. Every track offers a hook to grab and a corner to explore. It is strange, catchy, human, and oddly warm, even when the monsters move closer. It’s definitely what I’d call a band in progress we’re hearing here. The Pavement and Fanclub nods are a bit too on the nose, but there are flashes of what they will ultimately sound like.

Monster Of The Week is out now via Skep Wax. Follow the band on the Tulpa Bandcamp page.

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