ALBUM REVIEW: We Are Unpeople – Unpeople
Undoubtedly the most hyped band in the UK’s alt-rock underground, UNPEOPLE’s debut album not only lives up to expectations but sets them up as the next huge thing.
Your coolest alternative friends are all currently obsessed with UNPEOPLE. Whether they discovered them through their sets at Download, 2000 Trees, Noizzefest, Arctangent or Reading And Leeds, their live dates supporting METALLICA and COHEED AND CAMBRIA or their debut EP full of catchy alternative bangers, your mates with their ears to the concrete have been evangelical about UNPEOPLE since they surfaced in late 2023. Now on their full-length debut We Are Unpeople the rising quartet surpass expectations, delivering one of the year’s most memorable albums.
With the considerable hype behind their debut album, UNPEOPLE could’ve very easily phoned it in and delivered a collection of accessible rock songs guaranteed to bag them some milquetoast support slots for the next decade. It’s extremely refreshing then to see We Are Unpeople take some huge and unpredictable swings. Opening track Clouds could have been a straightforward MCFLY influenced pop-rock track layered with some chunky guitar riffs and multi-part vocal harmonies until it takes a wild left turn about two thirds of the way through and throws in some intense screams, blast beats and STRAPPING YOUNG LAD-esque chugging guitars before snapping back into the cheery pop chorus. With their catchy sing-along sections it’s easy to underestimate UNPEOPLE, while they may be ready for the big time they’re still throwing out some complex and brutally heavy moments in between all the fun melodies.
While there’s plenty of new material here UNPEOPLE have reworked a handful of songs from their back catalogue for the album, now featuring new bassist/vocalist Em Lodge. While fans may be familiar with The Garden, Waste and Smother, these tracks have been refreshed to fit in better with the rest of the album. Although these few tracks may be old news to the band’s already dedicated fanbase, the new versions slot elegantly in with the new work.
The yin and yang of UNPEOPLE are both on full show here with their heaviest and most accessible work so far living in harmony. Contrasting songs like Blueprints, with its clean guitars, groovy percussion and crooning vocals, cohabit peacefully with tracks that draw from the most intense sounds of the noughties post-hardcore boom, think REUBEN and MILLION DEAD, such as Swallow and Kangareuben. UNPEOPLE refuse to be torn in any one direction for too long, letting hefty riffs and throat-shredding screams happily live alongside lush harmonies and radio-friendly choruses.
We Are Unpeople closes out on a gloriously progressive track that shows off the band at their most eclectic and experimental without ever losing an ounce of the heavy meets mellow dichotomy which made them an underground sensation. Taking equal inspiration from VENNART, QUEEN, ALPHA MALE TEA PARTY and DEVIN TOWNSEND, album finale As You Were folds together everything that makes UNPEOPLE so exciting and unpredictable, leaping effortlessly between immense harmonies and crushing riffs without ever feeling forced. Continuing the trend set throughout the album, As You Were closes We Are Unpeople with a wild blast of eccentric energy.
Whatever you’ve heard about UNPEOPLE is only half the story, not only are they the next big name in alternative rock, they’re also one of the most exciting bands to breach the UK’s underground in years. Whether through their stellar live show or their groundbreaking debut album, everyone with an iota of taste should have UNPEOPLE on their radar.
Rating: 10/10
we are unpeople is out now via SharpTone Records.
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