The People Assembly's first album International Post Space Centre is as dystopian and apocalyptic as a Margaret Atwood novel and is a sound of our times.
Formed in 2017 in Leicester, they’ve been described as a Post-space collective, and I can see why. The band’s psych rock sound certainly fits that bill and that’s what makes them stand out from the crowd. In a sea of modern homogenized music, The People Assembly appear fresh and relevant.
These childhood congenial friends are made up of Joel Page (the exuberant blonde, singer), Jake Skemp (affable and gregarious, guitarist) and Kai Roberts (the diplomatic one, also guitarist), alongside Andrew Bassett (Drums) Lewis Bates (Bass) and their very own Bez (their words not mine), Rowan Taylor (tambourine, maracas), the latter of which are not here. The former 3 speak enthusiastically about their passion for music and their influences; Joy Division, Lofi, Spacemen 3, Hip Hop, the fearsome Salford rockers GNOD, My Bloody Valentine, Butthole Surfers, and the Japanese psych rockers Les Rez Danudes,
Then there’s Paul Wong, their producer, their glue that the band speak so fondly, the man who holds everything together.
They talk ebulliently of their journey so far from the first gig at Firebug to throwing themselves into the crowd in London’s Moth Club, the likes of which rock stalwarts, the Foo Fighters, have graced and then there’s this famous trash can that gets thrown around at their Leicestershire gigs!
Joel, Jake and Kai describe themselves as noisy music in a major key but
what did I think of their first album International Post Space Centre? The cover is emblazoned with a red and black virus like wheel, emblematic of the Soviet Propaganda that hints at the dystopian aesthetic that runs through their music.
Track one, Latex is a strong building beginning to an album with a rebel rousing start reminiscent of the build up of Eminem’s Lose yourself. We hear dystopian background noise and an accumulating story that starts calm and pondering musically and vocally but that culminates with a cacophony of anger and anguish.
French follows track one as an industrial yet spacey rocker, it kind of reminded me of Jeff Wayne's war of the worlds. A haunting twisted story perhaps of someone escaping a murderess. It’s pleasantly jarring, yet easy to listen to in a melodic rock kind of way..
Sun for the sun god has a real driven grunge sound interwoven with a xylophonic riff and angst ridden post punk vocals. It's clear that TPA are good at telling stories through their music and this one does not disappoint.
Mojav E Smith is an altogether more 80s 90s indie sound. The vocals really remind me of someone but for the life of me I can't think who. Before finishing with a psych/space rock and Karkara-esque Middle Eastern vibe.
House cave starts like a heavy less angelic version of Either way by the Twang. Great musicality and great use of horns in minor notes to finish. We then get the pleasure of a short post apocalyptic version of Amazing Grace which really highlights how good their sound production is.
R Skeletons Balloons is possibly my favourite. It is full of timeless nostalgic chords half reminiscent of the likes of U2, The XX maybe Fontaines DC. although they’d probably prefer a comparison with GNOD A song with great clarity yet haunting on a professional level.
Strasbourg 15:18 completes the album and is a perfectly long meandering story telling affair. It is a song that really wouldn't feel out of place at the climactic scene at the very end of a 20 episode binge watch series about a misunderstood serial killer. Listen to it and tell me if you disagree.
In conclusion, this is an album written, produced and played by a new brand of Generation Z musicians who know what they are doing. The band describe it as a warped soundtrack of neuroticism. Frankly, it’s the A & R executives who are crazy as they continue taking zero risks in an ever increasing world of banal modern music. The People Assembly however are part of a counter culture group of bands fighting the depressing status quo and their album International Post Space Centre is resolutely the opposite of banality. If you don’t get just how strong this album is, listen to it again.
Rating 81%
Thanks to the band and Alastair Mellor from Leicester promoters The Other Window. New EP How to Bomb Proof your house out now. Album available to buy at https://thepeopleassembly.bandcamp.com/album/the-international-post-space-centre
ww.riversoarrecords.com