GENRE; Pop/ Rock
RELEASE DATE; 28 November, 2025
RATING; 3/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tulpa’s debut full-length, Monster of the Week, arrives with the kind of jaunty confidence that makes you wonder how a band this assured could be so fresh. Released via Skep Wax on 28 November 2025, the record is concise, a lean set of hook-first songs that trade post-punk austerity for warm, fuzzed power-pop and slacker-era melodicism.
From the opener “Theme” through to the irresistible single “Let’s Make a Tulpa!”, Tulpa balance brittle guitar textures with buoyant choruses; guitars shimmer rather than scrape, and the band’s dynamic shifts keep eight short tracks feeling like a mini-odyssey rather than a collection of vignettes. The songwriting often hinges on sly turns of phrase — “everyone’s against ya” is the kind of throwaway hook that lodges itself into your head and the arrangements reward repeat listens by revealing small production flourishes: a ghostly backing vocal here, a sudden rhythmic lurch there.
Critics have picked up on the record’s nostalgic smarts without letting that nostalgia define it. Ged Babey at Louder Than War praises its “laidback and groovy slacker-pop” leanings and singles out “Let’s Make a Tulpa!” as an early highlight; similarly, scene outlets note the band’s move away from post-punk angularity toward something warmer and more melodic. If there’s a through-line, it’s confidence: this is a debut that sounds practiced, not precious.
If the record has a minor flaw it’s its brevity, a few tracks feel deliberately short, leaving you wanting more but that also becomes a virtue in a streaming age that rewards immediacy. Monster of the Week is a tightly wound debut that announces Tulpa as a band with a strong melodic identity and an enviable knack for writing songs that stick. For fans of jangly indie with a powdery edge, this one’s well worth a listen.
