All People Announce Self Titled LP on Community Records

All People are thrilled to announce their upcoming self titled new album will be released via Community Records on May 20th. The New Orleans quartet formed by Community Records (Woozy, Pope, Caddywhompus) founders Daniel “D-Ray” Ray(vocals/keys/horns) and Greg Rodrigue (vocals/bass/synth) have been at the center of their cities blossoming indie and punk rock scene for years, running the label, booking shows/festivals, and constantly touring the country. These guys are the epitome of DIY and PMA (positive mental attitude). On their new full length, All People, the band feel everything they’ve done has been culminating to this moment, and it comes across in the recordings. Stereogum are sharing the album’s first three songs, “Slow,” “Plain Essential Language,” and “Naught,” offering a glimpse into ever shapeshifting band’s new sound.

All People is a notoriously hard to pin down band, and on their upcoming self titled album, the band have changed up their style yet again, shedding much of their pop-punk influences in the past for a leaner indie rock sound that borrows diverse elements of everything from gothic tinged post-punk and jangly power pop, to soaring synth pop and “college radio” influenced slacker rock. Influenced equally by bands like Beach House, Fugazi, and their New Orleans surroundings, the album’s first three tracks offer a great sense of the record and the band’s unique brand of punk.

All People, an ever positive force of energy (in band form) carry a weight of hopefulness with them in their music. Speaking about the album’s themes, Rodrigue shared, “A lot of the songs that I wrote lyrics for on this album are based on my struggle with panic attacks, mental illness / anxiety, and incidents of death and suicide from people that I have been close to. The lyrical themes also touch on my perception of our human nature. We often have little control over some situations and circumstances in our lives, and at times I have naively overestimated my ability to shape my own reality. Over the years it has resulted in frequent depression and frustration, and some of these songs that I wrote are attempts to remind myself to let go, as well as find positivity through connectedness to others.”

Speaking about the record, Stereogum shared, “This music creates an introspective feeling both sonically and lyrically to explore the frustration that comes from having a lack of control.” before expanding, “While these three songs may feel as if they are spinning out of control through their lyrics and arrangement, in actually, they are a positive force of energy. Despite our anxieties and the outside forces that lead our lives down unexpected paths, All People have illustrated that clarity and hope can always be found within ourselves.”

All People’s initial concept was “All People Translate Pure Unfiltered Emotion”. The phrase described what the band would be for the members: a conduit for emotion and feeling. It’s a kind of mantra or spiritual belief that also touches on the idea that they wholeheartedly believe there is a pure and common energy connecting all of humanity. Music is All People’s method of self expression within this common energy, but each person has their unique way of expressing what’s in their hearts.

All People is the band’s third album and the most accurate representation of that concept. The record is a ‘soundtrack to youthful daydreams with fits of ecstasy and a preoccupation with the crushing drama of the small stuff’ — 27 minutes of dark and dreamy post-punk inspired by synth-driven bands of the ’80s and guitar-driven bands of the early ’90s and bound by introspective lyrics. Themes touch on mental illness and anxiety and incidents of death and suicide we experienced among our loved ones — all woven into their perception of human nature. These songs help the band stay positive and not succumb to depression. There is light at both ends of the tunnel.

All People is out Friday, May 20, 2016 on Community Records. The band and DIY label founded by All People’s own Daniel Ray and Greg Rodrigue are based in New Orleans, Louisiana.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

04/14 – Hattiesburg, MS @ The Thirsty Hippo
04/15 – Birmingham, AL @ The Saturn w/ Man or Astro-Man
04/16 – Savannah, GA @ Morningwood Los Angeles
04/17 – Rock Hill, SC @ Cowabungalow
04/19 – Washington D.C. @ Songbyrd Cafe w/ Woozy
04/20 – New Brunswick, NJ @ St. Mews w/ Sojourner & Fleeting
04/21 – Philadelphia, PA
04/22 – Clinton, CT @ Scottish Dave’s Pub
04/23 – Chester, NY @ Elephant Graveyard
04/24 – Worcester, MA @ Firehouse w/ Uh-Huh
04/26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ City Grows w/ Scrap Kids
04/28 – Hamtramck, MI @ New Dodge Lounge
04/29 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Chamber of Seacrest *
04/30 – Kalamazoo, MI @ Casa Mona *
05/01 – Chicago, IL @ Club Rectum w/ Edhochuli *
05/02 – Milwaukee, WI @ Quarter’s Rock ‘n Roll Palace *
05/03 – Springfield, IL @ Black Sheep
05/04 – Carbondale, IL @ The Swamp
05/06 – Nashville, TN @ Drkmttr
05/07 – Memphis, TN @ WTP
05/08 – Little Rock, AR
05/12 – New Orleans, LA @ Hey Cafe (album release) w/ Donovan Wolfington & Sharks’ Teeth
05/31 – Birmingham, AL
06/01 – Nashville, TN
06/02 – Bloomington, IN
06/03 – Flint, MI @ Vehicle City Fest
06/04 – Grand Rapids, MI
06/05 – Chicago, IL
06/06 – Rock Island, IL @ Rozz Tox
06/07 – Lawrence, KS
06/09 – Denver, CO
06/10 – Laramie, WY
06/11 – Salt Lake City, UT
06/12 – Boise, ID
06/13 – Portland, OR
06/16 – Santa Cruz, CA w/ MU330
06/18 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill – Asian Man Records 20 year fest
06/20 – San Jose, CA
06/22 – Fullerton, CA @ Programme Skate Shop
06/23 – San Diego, CA
06/24 – Los Angeles, CA
06/25 – Las Vegas, NV
06/27 – Pheonix, AZ
06/28 – Tuscon, AZ @ Gary’s Place
06/30 – San Antonio, TX
07/01 – Austin, TX
07/02 – Houston, TX
07/03 – Lafayette, LA

* w/ The Reptilian