Review Summary: I'm turning over but not a new leaf, we're starry-eyed and bushy tailed.....
“Typically, all unpeople songs start with a riff.”
Nary a quote as simultaneously heavy as lead and more trve than scripture been uttered, with the full impact of its simple veracity only revealed upon listening to unpeople’s debut album
we are unpeople. Introduced to the world literally a day after guitarists Jake Crawford and Luke Caley’s previous underground darling band Press To Meco sunset, unpeople played their first show the day after PTM’s last show, with Meg Mash (since replaced with Em Lodge) on bass and Richard “Forever on Team Skins” Rayner on drums (seriously does this dude own a shirt?). Unpeople keeps much of PTMs make-up, from the guitar tone, to the faintly mathy songwriting, to the heavy foundational undertone supporting their bright and crunchy brand of alt rock. This shift into huge riffage and soaring melodies marks the primary shift in style from PTM to Unpeople, and it’s one that makes
we are unpeople equal parts dynamic and immensely catchy.
While 2024’s eponymous EP served as a brilliant introduction to the band, not even that offering could fully prepare listeners for
we are unpeople. The album expands upon every facet of the EP while cranking up the energy and exuberance, resulting in a buoyant experience that satisfies with stank. Per the above quote, each track has a well-defined and typically creative riff that drives each song. The album’s second track “friends” immediately shows a side of the band not even hinted at prior with a thick harmonic riff that immediately hooks with Crawford’s gritty delivery serving as a perfect accompaniment and taste of the best of the album. In addition to the furious pacing and strong leads, unpeople’s undoubted strength is their amazingly offbeat melodies, both vocally and instrumentally. The lead single “the garden” is where the band truly set themselves apart. With a quirky progression that’s low on the BPMs without being plodding, it’s full of defined sections weaved together with unpeople’s indescribable “it” factor that’s a delight to listen to. The album really stars here.
Unpeople are an amalgamation of the best of current European rock, from Phoxjaw’s bizarre guitar leads to Vianova’s catchy heaviness. But
we are unpeople presents its offering with a magnetic zeal and confidence that’s hard to turn away from. The album’s quicker numbers, “haunted”, “kangareuben”, “bottle it” are downright infectious in execution with each defining riff as well written and conceived as the song before it. The band uses a healthy dose of group vocals to inject an air of positive conviction, in what guitarist Luke Caley describes as one of his favorite parts of recording
we are unpeople. The layering of which provides that much more character in conjunction with the heavy backing tracks. This positive conviction, cheerfulness, optimism, etc is a persistent aura within
we are unpeople regardless of the subject matter of the songs. The band’s aforementioned playfulness with melodies play a big part in songs like “look up” which takes cues (i.e, rips off) Natasha Bedingfields’s “Unwritten” or the Cuomosian tenor Caley takes in the bridge of “the garden.” It all smells sweetly of a band having fun recording with each other and uplifts every aspect of the album.
we are unpeople is a marvelous debut from Britain’s new darlings. Their blend of alt rock, post hardcore, and 00’s bait is a treat for the ears and after “as you were” ends and you’re back on solid ground, the feeling you’ve listened to something special begins to take over. Unpeople have quite a few directions they can take their sound after
we are unpeople and I’m here for whatever they decide, as long as each song begins with a riff.
