Listen: Pulp and James Murphy combine for new song ‘After You’

Pulp gave you what you really wanted on Christmas Day. The British rockers released a new song, “After You,” a collaboration with former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy at midnight on Dec. 25 this week.

It’s not a stretch to say the tune may remind you of Franz Ferdinand — Pulp were influential in that Scottish band’s output, and the rhythm section now has a modern spin on the classic Pulp sound. “After You,” in fact, is an old Pulp demo, re-done as of last month with Murphy’s thumbprint very obviously on the beat.

The band and Murphy combined just this fall for the S.S. Coachella, the music festival’s foray into a floating event via cruise. According to Pitchfork, the decade-old song never had a finished version until everybody hit the studio in November.

Pulp teased the release with Christmas/download cards handed out at their show in Sheffield, England last month. It became active on the holiday.

Pulp have no other tour dates planned and haven’t made clear whether they intend to make more new music. Murphy, meanwhile, is reportedly helping out on three or so songs for Arcade Fire’s next album, according to the Montreal band’s manager Scott Rodger to MusicWeek.

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