If you haven’t yet been swept up in the rapidly rising tide of unpeople, consider this your official invitation to get on board before the ship leaves the harbor. The UK four-piece has just announced their debut album, we are unpeople, arriving October 9 on SharpTone Records — and they’ve dropped a brand new single called “friends” to sweeten the deal.

Stream “friends” here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/515JoZzxBrdm0TxOhHa2n2

A Love Song For The Chronically Skeptical

“friends” is unpeople in a nutshell — a hook-forward, harmony-drenched anthem with a dark emotional undercurrent running beneath its bright surface. Vocalist Jake Crawford describes the track as “essentially a love song from the perspective of someone who is wholly skeptical about the very concept of love and what it’s come to mean in a modern context.”

In Crawford’s own words, he’s “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.” It’s the kind of self-aware emotional sabotage that makes for great songwriting, and unpeople know exactly how to wrap that vulnerability inside a chorus big enough to fill a festival field.

The Lightest Band at Bloodstock, The Heaviest Band at Kendal Calling

That paradox pretty much sums up why unpeople feel so exciting right now. The band — Jake Crawford, Luke Caley, Meg Mash, and Richard Rayner — trade in stadium-sized choruses, four-part vocal harmonies, and unapologetic heaviness. Imagine the eccentric unpredictability of System Of A Down colliding with the ’00s riffage of Reuben, and you’re in the neighborhood.

Previously released singles “clouds,” “the garden,” and “waste” have already proven the band can pivot from crushing to catchy without losing the thread. Now “friends” adds another dimension to a debut album that’s shaping up to be one of the most confident first statements in recent alt-rock memory.

Reclaiming The Word “Unpeople”

The band’s name itself is a mission statement. Originally a term for those dismissed as politically unimportant, “unpeople” has been reclaimed here as a celebration of shared humanity and belonging. The album takes that idea and runs with it — colorful and joyous one moment, aggressive and intense the next, always aiming for connection.

“we are unpeople is released into the world on October 9 and we couldn’t be more proud of it,” the band says. “We collectively put our absolute everything into it and we can’t wait to share it with you all.”

Track Listing — we are unpeople

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

A Summer Of Massive Festival Slots

Since forming in 2023, unpeople have opened for Metallica in Vienna, shared stages with Smashing Pumpkins and Coheed & Cambria, and drawn huge crowds at 2000trees. Kerrang! has already crowned them “one of alternative music’s best new bands,” and their 2026 festival run is stacked accordingly.

unpeople Live 2026:

– 6/10–6/14 — Hradec Králové, CZ — Rock For People
– 6/11–6/13 — Interlaken, CH — Greenfield Festival
– 6/14 — Donington, UK — Download Festival
– 6/19–6/21 — Scheeßel, DE — Hurricane Festival
– 6/19–6/21 — Neuhausen ob Eck, DE — Southside Festival
– 6/25–6/27 — Ysselsteyn, NL — Jera On Air
– 6/27 — Copenhagen, DK — Copenhell
– 7/17–7/18 — Joensuu, FI — Ilosaarirock
– 7/31–8/2 — Manchester, UK — Radar Festival
– 8/27–8/30 — Reading & Leeds Festival, UK
– 9/3 — Torquay, UK — The Foundry

Pre-order we are unpeople now and get “friends” spinning on repeat. Trust us — by the time October 9 rolls around, you’ll want to be able to say you were listening before everyone else caught on.

we are unpeople. you are unpeople. we are all unpeople.