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When I went to Lollapalooza this year, I mainly went for the major headliners. I was super excited for Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Gracie Abrams. However, one of the shows that stuck with me the most was an indie pop-punk band from California playing at the smallest stage. A show my sister and I went to at the last minute due to a TikTok she saw the previous night. A show where we stood front row, standing right behind the lead singer’s parents. A show for the band People R Ugly. I instantly fell in love with their style of early 2000s pop-punk and with their humor and positive vibes. In late October, they released their first full album, GARAGE. For being an album that was overshadowed by big new releases from many of my favorite artists, GARAGE might just be my favorite album released this year.
Thinkin' Bout These Tracks
After a short interlude to introduce the album, the record kicks off with “SLEEP TALKING”. This song is a perfect opening track to show what the rest of the album will be; it is taking tried and true topics in the pop-punk genre and adding a new spin on it. “SLEEP TALKING” is about the passage of time and not being able to sleep due to self reflection at night. The singer is having stressful thoughts but “Now is not the time. Close your еyes and let it be”. However it takes this concept and turns it into a super fun and catchy singalong track. “THINKIN BOUT YOU” is another highlight of the album. A fairly standard breakup song that is elevated by amazing production and great lyrics. A song about living a better life and having fun like you never could with your ex is refreshing. It's a change from the doom and gloom that comes with breakup songs in this genre. The outro slows it down to allow lead singer Zak Dossi’s vocals to shine. It also makes a direct callback to one of their previous singles “Life of My Own Party” in the chorus which is something I always love when an artist does.
Unfortunately, the album isn’t entirely full of bangers. The album ends with my two least favorite songs on the record, “F#€K IT (I’LL BE OKAY)” and “EL CAMINO (FEAT. JAKOB NOWELL)”. “F#€K IT (I’LL BE OKAY)” is the most somber song on the album, being about missing an ex-partner. In an album full of upbeat songs with lyrics about positivity and being happy with one’s self, lines like “I can’t swim let me drown” and “I bought an airplane cause life is a joke” feel super out of place. The record starts with a song about avoiding existentialism and not thinking of all the worries and troubles in one’s life. “F#€K IT (I’LL BE OKAY)” falls into a trap many songs in this genre falls into, being whiny. “EL CAMINO” flaws are much more simple to describe. I don’t care for how this song sounds. It features a really jarring beat switch into a reggae sound midway through the song that feels off whenever I hear it. The only other song in this project I didn’t love was “DAYLIGHT / TURN ME ON” because of the turn me on section. The core of the song is fantastic, probably one of the strongest tracks, but the beat switches for the last minute to this higher pitched voice repeating “you turn me on”. It’s a weird choice to have two different songs in one but it's a choice that causes me to not listen to the song fully due to how much whiplash the last minute gives me. The pitch shift is much better executed in “BETTER” to give the track a house party basement DJ vibe to the whole song.
A Non-Ugly Production
The greatest aspect of this album is the production. Every song, even the ones I didn’t care for, still had some amazing drums and guitars featured prominently. “SLEEP TALKING” “THINKIN BOUT YOU” and “EL CAMINO” all have some fantastic background instrumentals, rivaling many of the bigger artists the album is influenced by. When the songs aren’t featuring amazing percussion and strings, it instead offers fantastic electronic music. “DAYLIGHT / TURN ME ON” has a strong EDM feel that works great with the first half of the song. “OUTSIDE FREESTYLE” is reminiscent of 90s TV, music, and video games. With references to “Jump Around” by House of Pain and some twinkling with a similar sound to games Super Mario World or Sonic the Hedgehog, this song is a 90s love letter.
My favorite track off the album has a bit of everything mentioned above. “PUNCHING BAG” starts a bit slower than the rest but makes up for it with some great lyrics. Then the chorus kicks in with a tempo change and my favorite vocals on the album. After the second verse and a second chorus, the song hits us with a perfect bridge. My favorite part of a song is the bridge. This small connecting part between choruses leads to great lyrics and beat switch ups. The bridge on “PUNCHING BAG” is no exception. Dossi’s vocal delivery on this track is my favorite on the whole album. It’s the song I’ve listened to over and over again since the album was released. The end of the song features a short outro with the music cutting out, some tv static to sell the 90s aesthetic, and a phone call telling the singer to take care of themselves. It’s a section that feels well placed, and works well with the music fading back in slowly to give the listener a bit of a relief before heading back into more pop-punk goodness.
People R Ugly Bring the Party
If you would have told me in 2024 that a year with new Sabrina Carpenter, Marina, and Tyler the Creator projects, a debut album from a band called People R Ugly would be my favorite album, I would have never believed you. GARAGE is one of the best pop-punk albums released this decade. This album is clearly inspired by many of the pop-punk legends from the 90s and 2000s. The love for this genre is shown in every song. Seeing them live made me a fan, but GARAGE made me a listener for life. I’m very excited to see what’s next for People R Ugly and I’m counting down the days I can see them perform once again.
Sources: Lollapalooza, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, TikTok, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Instagram, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify, Nintendo, SEGA, Spotify, Spotify, Spotify
Contact Mason Mundy with comments at mason.mundy@bsu.edu or on Instagram @masonmundy1029.
