Rising alternative rock phenoms unpeople are continuing their rapid ascent to stardom with a main stage performance at this weekend’s Download Festival. Ahead of that, they’ve revealed their debut album ‘we are unpeople’ for an October release, featuring their biggest tracks including their 2026 single ‘clouds’.
Formed after the dissolution of English math-rock outfit Press To Meco in 2023, guitarists Luke Caley and Jake Crawford brought in bassist Meg Mash and drummer Richard Rayner to create unpeople (stylised in all lower-case) in London the same year. Their music blends thumping heavy rock and metal with infectious pop-punk hooks, a sound with tangible density and broad appeal.
Picking up momentum with their upbeat psychedelic aesthetic, exciting singles from their self-titled 2024 EP, and frantic live shows, unpeople have become major players in three short years. So far they’ve shared the stage with British stars like Hot Milk and While She Sleeps, but they also have the incredible claim of having opened for Metallica in 2024. Their massive gig list for 2026 has taken them fresh from May’s Slam Dunk Festivals to the honour of being the first act on Download Festival’s main stage this Sunday, followed later in the year by sets at Reading and Leeds Festival in August, a headline slot at Torquay’s Burn It Down Festival in September, and finishing off as main support for Don Broco’s UK tour this autumn.
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The band took to social media yesterday, the 9th of June, to announce debut album ‘we are unpeople’, just ahead of their big Download show. It’s set to feature singles ‘waste’ and ‘smother’ from the self-titled EP, fan favourite track ‘the garden’ and their anthemic April release ‘clouds’. As-yet unreleased track ‘friends’ is something a little heavier and punkier, yet no less catchy. Here’s the full track listing:
1. clouds
2. friends
3. the garden
4. swallow
5. bottle it
6. blueprints
7. haunted
8. waste
9. look up
10. kangareuben
11. smother
12. as you were
Guitarist and vocalist Jake Crawford describes ‘friends’ as “essentially a love song from the perspective of someone who is wholly sceptical about the very concept of love and what it’s come to mean in a modern context.” He adds “I am essentially saying I am going to kill the very concept of love before it’s even had a chance to get a hold of me – I am that afraid of being that vulnerable. I’d rather not bother than risk saying something I don’t mean, and then pay for it emotionally down the line. I’m fully aware that this is not necessarily healthy, but the mind takes you to some strange places when strong feelings are involved.”
‘we are unpeople’ is due to release on the 9th of October via Sharptone Records. You can check their website to catch their stellar live show around the UK this summer and autumn here.
