we are unpeople
There is a lot happening on we are unpeople, but the debut rarely makes the work feel difficult. The British band move between thick alternative-rock riffs, bright harmonies and sudden bursts of post-hardcore. Those elements could easily compete. Instead, the songs use them to keep changing the mood while holding onto an obvious hook. The result is heavy music with a remarkably welcoming personality.
clouds is a particularly clear introduction. Its opening harmonies give way to a forceful riff without making the change feel like a separate song has started. the garden puts a strong bass movement underneath its melody, while haunted brings a chorus designed to stay in the head. The arrangements are busy enough to reward attention, but never seem embarrassed about being immediately enjoyable.
The heavier turns are just as important. swallow and kangareuben give the record room to be abrasive, balancing the sweetness elsewhere. Jake Crawford's vocals can push hard, and the harmonies with bassist Em Lodge stop that aggression from flattening the music into a single mood. blueprints offers a calmer side, while closing track as you were pulls the band's melodic and heavier instincts into a more expansive shape.
Several songs have already appeared as singles or on the earlier EP, so longtime followers will not find an entirely new set. That familiarity is the main drawback. It also explains why the album sounds so assured: these are songs that already know what they need to do, brought together in a sequence that holds up.
we are unpeople succeeds through the quality of its songs rather than a complicated concept. It is bold without being hard to follow, and cheerful without losing the frustration underneath. Fans of Reuben, Biffy Clyro or the more playful side of heavy British rock should find plenty here. For a debut, it arrives with an unusually clear sense of how to make all that energy count.
