In a few years’ time when we discuss British bands that were criminally underrated, The People The Poet are bound to come up. Not only was this Welsh mob’s debut full-length, 2013’s ‘The Narrator’, a near-flawless example of layered, emotionally-loaded rock, it was made all the more personal by having its songs based on letters and stories from fans.
New EP ‘Paradise Closed’ follows a similar route in its execution, burning white-hot with a burgeoning intensity thanks to its dense composition and frontman Leon Stanford’s gorgeously gnarled, gravelly vocals. ‘Club 27’ takes its gentle openings and inflates them into a real indie epic, while opener ‘Happy Being Miserable’ takes a more visceral Springsteen-meets-Pearl Jam route.
It’s a release built on the foundations of the most lush grandiosity, but never feels too self-important, and still manages to maintain a level of intimacy. There’s an almost overbearing emotion to the likes of ‘Same Heart’ and ‘Needle In A Haystack’ that makes every moment feel like a true work of art, and coupled with the swathes of multi-layered vocals and delayed guitars, and it’s a truly immersive listen.
It all makes ‘Paradise Closed’ a truly excellent EP that packs in more dynamism and and heavy-hearted sentiments than most entire albums. It’ll be a borderline miracle if it sees The People The Poet pick up the mainstream adulation they’ve always deserved, but that we even have a band as brilliant and poignant as this is cause for celebration in itself.
4/5
‘Paradise Closed EP’ by The People The Poet is out now on Beeline Records.
The People The Poet links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp
Words by Luke Nuttall (@nuttall_luke)
