INTRODUCING: P.U.L.S.E

The UK underground scene is a feast of amazing bands which are waiting to be discovered. Sometimes it requires a bit of digging to find the true gems but one band who has managed to amass a significant following purely through word of mouth and promotion is the metalcore outfit known as P.U.L.S.E.

“After leaving my previous band I already had my mind set on creating a new band similar to what some of my friends have been doing in the scene. I knew I wanted to be a part of that. I had people telling me I wasn’t exploring my true potential and therefore I couldn’t let them down, thus the birth of P.U.L.S.E. Taking influence from the likes of ALPHA WOLF, VEIN and PALEDUSK, we want to tap into that nu-metalcore style and blend the softer and heavier sides of metal together to create something familiar sounding but that also sounds new” discusses frontman Thom Gardner. “The reaction so far has been great and we have so much more lined up. I can’t wait to see how people react”.

Apart from Thom being the figurehead, P.U.L.S.E is somewhat of an enigma, with the identity of the other members hidden behind masks. The mysticism has definitely played to their advantage as it has created a significant level of intrigue about the project. “It is somewhat intentional” admits Thom. “Despite this, we are also very interested in engaging with our fans, hence the “ourpulseisyours” phrase which we have utilised to try and bond those connections. Our aesthetic and establishing engagement with our fans are the key elements to us. If you can combine this with good music then people will sink their teeth in and help spread the word”.

Despite their increasing following things have not entirely gone to plan. As with most of the budding artists out there the pandemic has shelved a lot of opportunities. “Lockdown has been a bit of a nightmare” sighs Thom. “Luckily I managed to get finished up in the studio just before the first lockdown was announced but filming videos and any accompanying promotional material has been almost impossible and it has ruined our creative process completely. We have done everything we can to compensate for this but we cannot wait for life to go back to normal”.

We have seen bands adopt a staggered approach to releasing material in order to keep their listeners engaged over a longer period of time and this worked particularly well for SLEEP TOKEN as they drip-fed their highly acclaimed Sundowning release at regular intervals. This is what P.U.L.S.E are hoping will bring them similar success with their debut effort entitled, ourpulseisyours.

“We have put a lot of focus into our tracks and the themes included within the lyrics. We wanted it to feel relatable and touch on the day to day struggles that everybody faces” explains Thom. “Originally it was just myself in the band and I wrote as much material as I could with a little help from my friends in the scene. I’ve always been a huge melodic hardcore fan and I wanted to try and incorporate aspects from that style into P.U.L.S.E as well as our influences and inspirations drawn from the existing nu-metalcore scene. We just want to be heard, play shows, release music and enjoy whatever comes our way as a result of that. We’ve got big plans in the works if they are possible to do so and we have a lot of songs compiled which include some great collaborations so we are very excited for the future. When gigs come back we’ll be ready”.

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Read about P.U.L.S.E and more upcoming bands in Issue 5 of our New Blood magazine via Patreon.