Words | Joshua Withers
@joshwithers4
Photography | Greta Kaur-Taylor
Defiance in their melancholy
The People Assembly are a post-space collective from Leicester who have built a reputation locally for chaotic, impassioned live shows and an impressive early catalogue of studio releases including their debut EP ‘How To Bombproof Your Horse’ released in 2018. ‘R Skeletons Balloons?’ is the bands third single since the release of the EP.
The track is arguably their least hectic, most melodic release to date, opening with a floaty, spacey riff, the opening two minutes of the track builds on this almost haunting feel. Guitarist Jake Skemp describes the song as “the first song written in the group as you know it. We never put it on that EP because that EP sounds like a blender being thrown into a wasp’s nest and it somewhat dampened the wasps.”
The song addresses looking back on the past and wishing you could go back to a time when things were better, the tone of the track is melancholic and regretful. The band are unashamedly vulnerable for the song’s 6 minutes and 16 seconds, people familiar with the band will know they don’t limit themselves to short songs and whilst their songs are often long they are always intense and gripping throughout.
On writing the song frontman Joel Page says “when we were 17 the only thing there was to write songs about was teenage sadness, making the lyrics slightly redundant now we’re all adults with adult sadness. It can be inferred that 'they all bite down with chewy teeth' refers to the inability of the older, conservative-voting generation to stifle the progressive youth, but I think our 17 year-old selves were too busy trying to illegally buy rollups to be that inferential, who knows.”
This defiant attitude is common in much of The People Assembly’s work and whether the line is intentionally inferential or not, it offers a poetic look at modern conservatism and progressivism. The recent general election has shown the former to be the majority but the progressive youth will not back down because of this. This brings a defiance to an otherwise sorrowful track and makes it possibly even more relevant in the current climate than when it was written.
The song is releasing in the midst of isolation due to the coronavirus which is hard to ignore. Jake addresses this saying “In terms of Corona philosophy, the only thing we can say is that the current situation has intensified the crises of capitalism as all crises do , but it has laid bare the brutality of austerity politics in a manner in which we find it hard to believe anyone can put any credence behind conservative policy, but then again, we found it hard to believe anyone would vote tory. Look at us now. It’s also made it completely impossible to operate as a band, which is a bonus.” This reinforces the bands take on modern conservatism, addressing the horrific consequences of austerity measures, especially during a crisis like the one we find ourselves in.
To me ‘R Skeletons…’ is the bands most beautiful but despondent release so far. Finding positivity in sadness is extremely important right now and it is easy in a song like this. It’s a shining example of the bands talent and massive potential and will leave any listeners of the band excited to hear what they will offer next.
'R Skeletons Balloons?' the latest single from The People Assembly available now on all major streaming platforms.
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