Album of the Week: People Like You – Verse

Coming out of Boston’s DIY underground, indie jazz quintet People Like You explore musical boundaries with consistent brilliance. Poignant rhythms and abstract structure are the foundation for an act that keeps things interesting with each song. Their sophomore release Verse that came out Jul 28 via Topshelf Records dives into that æsthetic while achieving sustainable progression. Each track captivates the senses with impressive tones. There’s also a certain amount of unpredictability from start to finish.

The dual vocals from guitarist Chris Lee and keyboardist Michi Tassey provide mesmerizing harmonies. Drummer Sander Bryce and bassist Sai Boddupalli bring the abstract poignancy in amazing ways with breakbeats and improvisation. Matt Hull is the icing on the musical cake with his skills on trumpet and flugelhorn. It’s a creatively impressive melding of talents that makes Verse such a stunning album. Each song grabs hold of the ears and never lets go.

It can be the bane of a music journalist’s existence to encounter music that you enjoy but also find difficult to describe. Sometimes an act will incorporate numerous dimensions and the proverbial nail is hard to hit when it comes to telling the casual listener what the band sound like. It can be challenging, but that’s a good thing. People Like You bring a lot to the table with their music and Verse is a prime example of that. Let’s see exactly what they bring with my top tracks from the Album of the Week:

“You Need a Visa” starts the album off with an hypnotic chorus and a flurry of variety; Hull on trumpet accents the song well while amazing harmonies are conveyed by Lee and Tassey. With somber tones comes “Josephine Ave,” a sense of heartbreak and longing adorns the song from beginning to end. Bryce’s drumming is magnificent in “Thumbnail,” where he brings a rhythmic machine-gun style that backs the entire track up.

People Like You just finished up a summer tour of the eastern United States but since they’re from Boston be sure that they’ll be playing around the New England area for the time being. The next time they’re playing your friendly neighborhood music venue, grab a copy of Verse. It takes you on a musical expedition that encounters numerous dimensions.

Stream and buy Verse via Bandcamp: peoplelikeyoumusic.bandcamp.com/album/verse

People Like You on Facebook: www.facebook.com/peoplelikeyouma