Pop Punk
PREMIERE: Human People - In My Speakers
Laura Kerry
I have a confession with which you will strongly agree or disagree, according to the polarizing nature of the topic discussed: I do not like pop punk. I recognize that it’s a generalization about a genre I haven't given a fair shot, but here it goes anyway. Aesthetically, I’m not a big fan of that stereotypical “emo voice,” and in principal, I think that the whole "putting girls on a pedestal as objects of faraway adoration or bitterness" isn't the best.
I am, however, very on board with Human People, a band that call themselves “sloppy pop punk that’s NOT pop punk grrr.” An all-female quartet from New York, their latest song, “In My Speakers,” proves it a worthy genre classification. It fits into the pop punk arena in the sense that it's angsty (post-) punk infused with upbeat, guitar-driven pop rock, but it is NOT pop punk in many other ways.
As Human People say, they're sloppy, and that’s one of the charms of the song—the way the fuzzy guitar sometimes outpaces the drums, building up the noise and creating a sense of urgency. Lead singer Hayley carries the song in an androgynous voice that is both casual and earnest, slurring words either in a show of focused intensity or its opposite. “In My Speakers” showcases a band out to have some nonchalant fun that wouldn’t mind tearing some shit up in the process.
Beyond that, there’s not much information about Human People on the Internet and even less of their music; their Bandcamp page has just two other songs. The good news is that they seem to play a lot of high-energy shows around the city, and it appears that an EP is in the works. That should be more than enough to open the minds of us haters to the pop punk genre (or NOT).