Horse skeletons, new albums, and sunken bedrooms in an abandoned warehouse summarise They Suffocate at Night quite well. Two of those pointers featured in a video made for the song, which served as the first single from their second album, Freaks. Far from the qualities we know and love the band for, but certainly of interest to those wanting to chase down the deep cuts. Brace yourself for a few slices of jangle pop influence, but an ultimately satisfying experience where frontman Jarvis Cocker coerces the sexier side of Sheffield out from the shadows. It’s been his aim for decades, and the success of his work is in adapting those kitchen sink dramatics to all walks of life, to all instances, no matter the geographical location. It happens on They Suffocate at Night, an early track from Pulp and a likeable one at that. While the band may not be all too keen to return to these songs while on the More tour, it’s hard not to find a soft spot for their earliest tracks.
They Suffocate at Night is as much a usual walk of love and a lack of longevity as it is a comment on the working class of Sheffield. It’s difficult to talk about the suffocation of an entire city, but it happened there and right around the time They Suffocate at Night had been released, the damage was done. Mines were closed, the Steel City was suffering, and its counterculture and calls against popular culture of the times were only growing. You only need look to Pulp’s Hits album, particularly The Last Day of the Miner’s Strike, to know how the mood was around this time. Their commentaries are clear and that’s thanks to Cocker’s wordplay. It would be in that formative stage where a few cuts or additions here or there would bring out the best in his work. But it was serviceable most of the time and elevated to strong writing when backed by the right instrumental backing. That’s what the band had not quite figured out at this point.
Few bands had it all put together so early on in their careers. Pulp took a while, but They Suffocate at Night is a decent, early example of their sound. Cocker is closer here than he ever was to an identifiable, unique voice. Not long to go on that front, and while that bubbles away there are some frankly excellent instrumental additions. Sluggish, freaky sounds which add to the mood. There’s a beautiful acoustic guitar tucked away as Cocker sings of changing minds and Russell Senior plucks away at some haunting violin work. It’s an excellent pairing which brings Pulp closer to that finer blend of cultural commentaries and out-there instrumentals. The latter would soften as the former strengthens. Those who want a higher-pitched thrill are well-served here.
Even then, the band are struggling here to stand out from the crowd. They Suffocate at Night is a fascinating song, but not a hit in the making. Unfortunate that may be, the lengthy vocal interjections towards the end of the song from Cocker and the heightened sense of drama brought on by an uncomfortable but brilliant instrumental section are not radio-friendly pieces. Nor should it be, but the popularity of Pulp was never going to be built around Freaks or its singles. How different it would have been had they pursued this sound even further. Crucial to the enjoyment of a song like They Suffocate at Night is it now serves as an outlier for a band whose popular songs could not be further from this. It’s a whole other side to Pulp, a darker and more rooted noise which would bring out the band’s vicious influences.
