Jarvis Cocker has released ‘Must I Evolve?’, the first track from his new band Jarv Is.
The new song sees the Pulp frontman teaming up with bandmates Serafina Steer, Emma Smith, Andrew McKinney, Jason Buckle and Adam Betts – who were all a part of the series of shows he played in unexpected locations last year.
It immediately opens with Jarvis posing the eponymous question, before a haunting choir provide a series of rather affirmative “no’s”. After the mysterious start, the track then heads in an increasingly experimental direction, with a pounding drum beat being played underneath a succession of other questions that are posed by the Britpop icon.
“Must I grow old? Must I join in,” Jarvis asks at one point.
While the track is currently streaming online, its physical release has been limited to sales at forthcoming Jarvis shows – including dates at London’s All Points East Festival later this month and Primavera shortly after that.
Earlier this year, Jarvis was a lead signatory of a letter that urged the BBC to revise proposed radio cuts.
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The letter, which criticised cuts to BBC Radio 3, stated: “Our culture benefits so much from these programmes. Music lovers tune in to make new discoveries and build new creative communities. Music makers rely on these shows as lifelines to support and share their music with enthusiastic audiences, nationally and internationally.”