Gather around everyone! There’s a new British rock band ready to take over the world. Meet Unpeople, a London-based rock band that keeps you guessing. The British quartet is made up of Jake Crawford (vocals and guitar), Luke Caley (vocals and guitar), Em Lodge (vocals and bass), and Richard Rayner (drums). They’re known for energetic live performances, most notably at festivals such as Leeds, Reading, and Download. Their heavy riffs and earnest lyricism are tenfold in their debut album, We Are Unpeople.
Starting off the track list is “Clouds,” which begins with a compelling line, “finally feel like you got all the answers now.” Once I heard that lyric, I immediately wanted more. The harmonies are so smooth, even in the chorus. Even though this song is lyrically cynical, it makes you want to dance/headbang at the same time. The breakdown before the chorus was a pleasant surprise and made me realize it’s time to expect the unexpected with this band.
“Friends,” is a more vulnerable track with a lot of screaming flowing into singing and vice versa. The rawness of the vocals makes the song really personable, the feeling of trying to keep it together while losing your mind and being scared of love. This breakdown was picturesque; I can already picture how hard that is going to go at a show, and it will be a great time to call out the moshers.
Moving onto “The Garden,” the natural sounds in the beginning of the tune are quickly combated with a heavy chunky bass line. The chanty chorus, along with the layered vocals, is well produced and meshes so well together. Unpeople does an excellent job with harmonizing, and this track (along with the album itself) really proves that.
Now, we’re going to get angry with our next two tracks, “Swallow,” and “Bottle It.” Both tracks have an abruptness to them and are also a gentle reminder to be nice. “Hold your tongue before I bite it out,” is incredible imagery to really highlight how stupid people can truly fill anyone up with rage. These are the two heavier tracks on the album that call out hypocrisy and let you know it’s not welcome in this band’s universe.
“Blueprints,” provides a break in the album and delivers a slower melodic track in comparison to the front half of the album. Even though the song is still a little slower, the vocals are still as strong and synchronized as ever. The song also provides us with an epic dramatic guitar solo towards the end of the track.
The gradual build up in “Haunted,” and usage of the echoey “La, La, La,” set the atmosphere up well for this track. “When you go I lose sight of all I know,” is a lyric that really emphasizes the feeling of being trapped into a descension of madness. “Waste,” then follows up with even more captivating lyrics. “You doubled down, you should have left some room to grow,” is such a great diss to anyone who’s ever tried to make you feel less than. Additionally, the lyric, “shooting yourself in the foot with the starting gun, good going” is fantastic, and goes back to the same energy delivered in the tracks, “Swallow,” and “Bottle It.”
If you’ve been listening to the album and thinking, “when will there be a song I can stomp to?” Look no further, “Look Up,” is that stompy anthem with a constant stable drum beat. Which is then followed by “Kangareuben,” that brings in the chaos and heaviness of the album. Now after some Google searches, I’m still not entirely sure what a Kangareuben is, but I’ll take five of them.
“Smother,” continues on to provide that steady beat that additionally occurs in “Look Up,” and “Kangereuben.” In “Smother,” the screaming that happens on the word, "pressure," in the chorus feels so incredibly relatable, especially in this state of the world. It almost makes me feel like I’m being smothered. If this is how I’m going to get smothered, sign me up! The album concludes with “As You Were.” A unique drum beat to start off the song which leads into an anthem like song. I don’t know exactly why or how, but I know I’m meant to hear this played to thousands of people. It has this drama to the vocals and all instruments that feels cinematic. I feel like this being their final song on the track list was a way of the band putting their final stamp of approval on the album.
This album is a master class of how to make your debut album impactful. It tells you from the very first second of this album being played who this band is and what they’re about. Their lyricism is the perfect kind of nihilism you hear in some of the biggest rock anthems, paired with riffs that’ll have you hooked. This band should be on anyone’s radar, especially if you love any kind of British rock music.
