‘…unpeople are undoubtedly going to become titans of British alternative music…’
Emerging from the ashes of progressive-alternative rock outfit Press to MECO in 2023, easycore four-piece unpeople have been making quite the waves within British alternative music. The band released their eponymous EP in 2024, and quickly becoming famed for their brilliantly quirky spins on alternative rock and post-hardcore ideas; stupidly catchy melodies layered with gorgeous harmonies, and instrumentals that focus on being crushingly, ferociously expansive.
Their live performances have become equally as famed for their sheer rambunctiousness, and the band have already managed to almost completely sell-out the British leg of their 2027 tour. Of course, any amount of hype, can easily be dissolved in an instant by a poor debut record, and so the question remained as to whether unpeople would be able to sustain their blistering ascent to the top with ‘we are unpeople’.
That hype has not been matched; it has been surpassed entirely, even with such a strong start to their career as unpeople.‘we are unpeople’ is everything a listener of this band could want, and then some. Remarkably creative and brilliantly witty, the band have taken their easycore sound, and pushed it to its wildest extremes; moments of deathcore sit alongside dance-punk, whilst gorgeous harmonies and infectious melodies intertwine with relentless screams.
Lead single and opening number ‘clouds’ is pure, whimsical chaos, hurtling through stomping riffs, cheerleader-esque vocal hooks, and wonderfully silly synth melodies. The band’s pseudo-ensemble vocalist approach is a stroke of genius that persists across the entire record, with frontman Jake Crawford’s powerful grit wonderfully counterbalanced by harmonies from Em Lodge and Luke Caley. The bridge takes a dramatic twist towards a deathcore sound, as the band sing of refusing to adhere to trends, before returning to twinkling whimsy.
‘friends’ is a snaking, searing dark love song that is deceptively simple in its presentation; Crawford promises to love you to death, but also promises that it will be a disaster for all involved. ‘bottle it’ brings more anti-industry sentiment to the party, as the band oscillating between absolutely filthy verses and bright, remarkably catchy choruses. Grunge ideas are flirted with on the swampy fuzz of ‘look up’, whilst ‘blueprints’ shows a an unexpectedly softer side to unpeople
A few entries from the band’s back catalogue work their way onto the record; ‘waste’ and ‘smother’ are lifted from their debut EP, whilst summer anthem and stand-alone single ‘the garden’ finally finds a home. The record’s highlights, however, remain firmly in the new material; ‘kangareuben’ belongs on a Skate or FIFA game soundtrack, with an utterly relentless pace that will have you moshing in your living room, especially when the devilish breakdown that consumes the entire back half of the track gets underway.
It is ‘haunted’, however, that might be the pinnacle of an incredible set of musical offerings. Richard Rayner’s monolithic drumming is on full-display on this wickedly theatrical inferno of a track, as the gloomy yet riotous riffs give way to shimmering dance-punk choruses. The harmonies are once again absolutely top-notch, especially as the track rages towards its shiver-inducing climax.
With releases like this, unpeople are undoubtedly going to become titans of British alternative music. ‘we are unpeople’ is one of the strongest debut records from a British band in a long time, and one of the finest releases of 2026; these musicians have been toiling within the industry for decades now, yet it truly feels like they are only just getting started. They are unpeople, we are unpeople, and after listening to this record, you will be unpeople too.
RATING: 87/100
For Fans Of: vianova, the great nothing, Jools, Paledusk, Enter Shikari
Physical copies of the record are available to purchase here.
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