The People The Poet

Welsh rockers The People The Poet have returned with their brand new 6 track EP ‘Paradise Closed’. After releasing their debut album ‘The Narrator’ the band have been non-stop touring with the likes of Deaf Havana and The Dear Hunter.

Opening the EP is 90s Britpop sounding track ‘Happy Being Miserable’. A catchy chorus with harmonies adding that extra layer creates an anthem that forces you to be happy even if miserable!

The cheery vibes are lost in ‘Club 27’ with dark lyrics referring to the 27 club with the likes of Kurt Cobain. The occasional bluesy lick forms a unique sound The People The Poet haven’t explored before. You think the bridge is vocally impressive until the final chorus kicks in and Stanford’s gritty, gravely but insanely powerful modulated voice surprises you.

The tunes keep stacking up with next track ‘Matchday’ having an early Coldplay sound but still keeping the band’s uniqueness thanks to Stanford’s versatility. He waltzes between softly singing to screaming each lyric but still with a sense of control. With a memorable chorus ‘Matchday’ is the sing along that will be filling arenas in a few years time.

‘Same Heart’ is lyrically beautiful and brews with such passion nearer the end. However with repetitive riffs the track becomes irritating and doesn’t demonstrate the quartets maturity. ‘Needle In A Haystack’ follows the same repetitive nature with a simple structure that doesn’t allow the track to grow. The haunting lyrics telling a story of a father who lost his battle to a drug addiction are elegantly and cleverly formed but just can’t make up for the tedious form.

Perfectly placed ‘When The Fire Goes Out’ ends the EP suiting its encore essence. The soft track shows off Stanford’s more sensitive side but lacks Campbell’s harmonies that are flawless in the rest of the EP. The track is undoubtably a grower as the more you listen the more addicted you become.