Big Guitars, Huge Hooks and Plenty of Chaos

unpeople have spent 2026 making it increasingly difficult to ignore them. They’ve stormed the Apex Stage at Download, rattled through a string of sold-out shows and built a reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting new alternative bands. Now comes the real test: their debut album, we are unpeople.

we are unpeople brings together brand-new material with older cuts that have already become fan favourites. It’s a debut that looks forward without forgetting where the band have come from, giving the album the feel of a band taking everything they’ve built so far and turning it up another notch.

‘Clouds’, already on repeat, lulls you in with its almost dreamlike opening before the drums crash in and the guitars kick the door down. From there, a pounding melody drives the track into a massive chorus, while ‘Garden’ stomps forward on a huge bassline, its hymn-like harmonies giving the whole thing a darker, almost anthemic weight.

‘Swallow’ opens with “If you’ve got nothing nice to say, then don’t say a word” before kicking straight into an absolute cracker. Jake Crawford sounds completely unrestrained here, his raw, ragged vocals pushing the song to the edge and driving the message home with every snarling line.

All the vibes of a Mission: Impossible movie come rushing in on ‘Bottle It’. Thrashing guitars and Crawford’s screams turn the track into pure chaos, charging forward like a car chase with the brakes cut. It’s tense, explosive and gloriously over the top, with barely a second to catch your breath.

Taking a breather, ‘Blueprints’ finds unpeople stepping away from the mayhem for an anthemic ballad that hints at a much bigger world beyond the noise. The guitars give way to soaring melodies, proving there’s more to this band than sheer volume and adrenaline. It’s a rare moment of restraint on an album that otherwise runs hot.

Closing the album, ‘As You Were’ kicks off like a Celtic shindig — all pounding drums, striking guitars and a full-throated vocal charge. Loud, brash and gloriously unruly, it barrels towards its finale, ending on the line: “Better the devil you know, better to go it alone.” A suitably defiant full stop to an album that rarely lets up.

Some albums arrive. Some albums kick the doors in. we are unpeople kicks them clean off their hinges — loud, abrasive and bursting with ideas. For a debut, it’s one hell of an introduction.

Album Details

Release Date: 9th October 2026
SharpTone Records
12-tracks