Undesirable People
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Undesirable People

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"Eugenics Review"

‘This is not a test, just another sad excuse to impress’

If Undesirable People’s second EP, Eugenics, is just an excuse to impress, they’re certainly doing it right. Undesirable People, comprised of Steven Kennedy (vocals), Mark Lebiecki (vocals/bass), Brian Fraser (guitar), Alan Keleman (guitar) and John Lebiecki (drums), write mature pop punk anthems which will lodge themselves inside of your brain and make you sing your heart out.

Despite Undesirable People’s reasonably short existence (they got together in ’11), they sound like a band with song writing chops far beyond their years. Musically, the band alternate between full blast pop punk-ing and a more mid-tempo, mature sound. Strangely enough, Kennedy’s vocals also follow this pattern. His voice adjusts between shouting his lungs out and straight up, clean singing without skipping a beat. Technically, the band is quite excellent; their songwriting doesn’t just stick to the formula set out by many bands of their ilk. Every instrument is utilized to sound interesting alongside the typical mosh-worthy fare, the guitars entwine as well as riff, the drumming never misses a beat, and the vocals are close to perfect.

Lyrically, the band is again excellent with themes around relationships and society. They may not be overly complex, but complexity does not infer talent. The EP is filled with intelligent one-liners that, if Undesirable People’s fan base was any bigger, would be tattooed on the wrists of hundreds. Tracks such as " Basement Talk" and "Animals" display all of the aforementioned attributes, which when combined together make for some of the best pop punk tracks that you’ll hear this year.

Overall, Undesirable People is a band that is already at the top of it's game. Eugenics, at a mere 15 minutes, is possibly the best EP of the year so far. What makes Undesirable People so… desirable is that everything your typical pop punk band can do, Undesirable People can do better. The vocals are brilliant, the lyrics are much better than those of many of their peers and they manage to make music that is both intelligent and fun at the same time. Remember how excited everyone was about The Wonder Years? Meet your new favourite band.


9/10 - AbsolutePunk.net


"Eugenics Review"

“Undesirable People” is a misnomer. With the amalgamation of different time signatures, off-kilter rhythms and guitar lines, philosophical yet uplifting lyrics, and classic Rock solos that would impress Jimmy Page, this band is more than desirable on their sophomore EP Eugenics.

Undesirable People are a quintet that hail from St. Clair Shores, Michigan with a sound that’s almost impossible to pin down to one normal genre. There are hints of Punk, Rock, Indie, and a touch of Pop. Upon signing with South Division Records in May of 2011, they released their self-titled EP shortly thereafter. Whereas the Undesirable People EP is much more straightforward Punk Rock, Eugenics can be viewed as an expedition into uncharted sounds that were hinted at in the eponymous effort.

Eugenics opens the extended play at a fast pace with a funky rhythm that constantly shifts and changes time signatures from the quick verse to the calmer pre-chorus and chorus. The main riff is gnarly and the chord progression is not predictable, leaving the listener with something different in a world where many bands sound the same because they’re all mostly afraid to change things up.

The second song, I Dream Of Real Life is where the lyrical output matches the musical in terms of engaging, thought-provoking, and unique. Perhaps a musing on life, a thought on a relationship, or both, singer Steven Kennedy quietly questions his audience on the other side of the headphones: “Did someone tell you just how meaningless our time’s been? / Is this really it?”. The quiet line and soft 20-second jam ends the philosophical song in order to set up the wall of sound in Basement Talk. Although one can never be certain since one didn’t write the song, but this one actually comes across as an American Basement song by being full of emotion, powerful songwriting, and easily fitting in with this generation’s recently taken-back title of (real) Emo.

You’re Lucky (I’ve Let You Live This Long) cranks up the catchy meter. The tambourine and the off-beat palm-muted guitars in the verse keep things alive and interesting. The lyrics are relatable in telling off a partner who has wronged the narrator: “Darling, how could you expect the world? / How does someone who’s got nothing but a soul? / You may never figure out just how much I don’t care / Save your sinking eyes for someone else.” A jam similar to the one in I Dream Of Real Life rears its head again to finish the song, and it is easily a welcomed finish.

The penultimate song, Deathly Combinations, is quickly and easily the standout track from the EP. At just two minutes and twenty seconds, UP get right into the mess of their most versatile track. The song is about multiple, poor (deathly) circumstances coming together (combinations), thus causing a difficult situation for the lonely narrator, a character Kennedy conveys well and with emotion. What makes this track go from a good to a great one is the soaring solo three-fourths of the way in. There were nice lines and complements here and there, yet this solo goes beyond what was expected both in terms of desire by the listener and seemingly capability on the guitarist’s part. The only downside, however, is that this is the only time in the fifteen minutes that a guitar solo stands out like this one, leaving the listener teased.

Animals closes Eugenics on a soft note. The rhythm is reminiscent of recent Transit and the tone of earlier Transit. Multiple, complementary guitar lines, crashing drums, and a heavy bass make this closer strong, catchy, and interesting. The crescendo and decrescendo of the song changes at a strum’s notice. Then, seemingly out of nowhere yet again, a beautiful trumpet line shines for about eighteen seconds--and doesn’t return. To boot, UP end the EP in a similar fashion to Pop-Punk bands: the gang vocals on a personal and relatable line: “How can anyone expect less from me?” Sadly, the only way anyone can expect less is by sticking to the clichés of the genres.

Undesirable People put forth a great effort full of new sounds, new instruments, new ideas, and amazing songwriting. While they show such promise for all of this EP’s sixteen minutes, they here and there succumb to some of the more boring and expected tools used by their peers (i.e., gang vocals to end the closing song). This, however, doesn’t completely bring down what they’ve set up. What hurts it more, though, is the lack of more exploration. Eugenics shines most when it sounds different, yet the only two majorly different parts of this EP were the guitar and trumpet solos. Understandably, this is an EP and is only supposed to be a taste of what UP has in store for its listeners, but hopefully they will be delivering a full-length at some point to fulfill what they’ve just set up. - Easycore.net


"Eugenics Review"

They were making quite a name for themselves on the Detroit circuit last year and their self-titled 2011 EP proved that they weren't a band to ignore. Undesirable People crafted a post-hardcore punk sound with an indie foundation and it worked well. Eugenics, however, is a bit more toned down, as they went the more melodic route. But in its harmony, this album still manages to capture the raw essence that defines them. It isn't as fast as past records, but it's still a pretty decent album.

"Eugenics" opens with a perfect blend of indie, alternative and punk, which highlight the poppy voice of Steven Kennedy. He may have that generic pop voice but his delivery and lyrics really helps give the band a likeable edge. "I Dream Of Real Life" is an example of how the band toys a bit more with backup vocalist, Mark Libiecki, who gets much more to do on the record than stick out on the bass. The dual vocals really impress.

"Basement Talk" encompasses all the great ideals and attributes of the band and it's nifty how well they manage to trudge through the emotional riff-raff of each song while making the tracks all distinct individually. There's something about this EP in its slow and calm vibe that reminded me of Seahaven's 2011 record, a compliment in itself. This track particularly shows how outstanding the guitarists, Brian Fraser and Allen Keleman, are as they add that extra punch to Kennedy's stance.

"Animals" caps off the album fittingly and it's a grand example of the band's charm. They're fervent when need be yet still somehow make it a duty to keep that alternative melody they wanted for this record. The sound's varied from their earlier stuff, and while calmer, it's pretty clear that there's a lot to enjoy from these guys. My only issue was that I felt it could have been longer. I can't wait for a full-length and no doubt, this band has the perfect foundation to build on. - Punknews.org


Discography

09252012 - Eugenics (EP)
12252011 - Desperate Minds (Single)
09202011 - Undesirable People (EP)

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Bio

At a time when listeners thrive for a new and genuine sound in an ever-changing genre, Metro-Detroit rock band Undesirable People have found a way to provide just that with an on-stage chemistry visible from the start, to their self titled EP released in 2011.

Signing with South Division Records in May of 2011, Undesirable People recorded the self-titled EP with Mick Maslowski at Zoinga Studios. The six song EP reveals a group of musicians with clear intentions on their approach to playing and writing. From the fine-tuned guitar and bass tones in “From The Left”, to the in-your-face track “Women Be Shoppin’”, the boys in UP have found a way to stay shy of the gimmicks and still catch your ear.

Spending early 2012 writing new tunes and touring parts of the US and Canada, Undesirable People have no intention on slowing down any time soon. With more touring planned throughout the spring and summer, and another release already in the works for late 2012, Undesirable People are sure to deliver something everyone appreciates. As always, stay undesirable.