Portrait People is a sound that puts you in your head but with company, encouraging you to find connection in the typically lonely spaces of fear and wandering. What began as Nic Temple’s high school solo endeavor, the popcore outfit of Pittsburgh’s Earthwalk Collective came to fruition in 2016 in drummer Mike Law’s basement with the launch of the recording process of the Hollow EP. Accompanied by long-time childhood friend David Beck on bass and later Dave Pawlowski on guitar, the Hollow EP was a short diary through the pains of teenage love, when the end of the world seems like it could be hiding within ensuing heartbreak. Sonically, the group established themselves with their driving major chord riffs, shared rhythmic phrases, and gritty vocals sprinkled with charming falsettos.
By the time the EP was released in 2017, Temple felt he had already begun to outgrow the songs as he was exploring conversations that stay ongoing until the grave, questions of personal meaning and spiritual reality. Likewise, 2020’s full-length Hallow is a matured—or rather further developed—journey through the lowest and most climactic moments of introspection, with a familiar yet chiseled sound. Recorded mostly at Plus Minus studios with finishing touches and vocals recorded at Loud Audio Workshop and a church in hometown Butler, PA, the product is dreamy, but like those dreams where you’re running and slashing through a mob of your demons.
The group’s sound is unified like bones of a joint, where the wiggle room for individual motions allows for collective movement. Deceivingly intricate melodies and riffs slide down smoothly with the honey coating of the rhythm section. Pop emo composed like a symphony, not one note on Hallow is either forced or unintentional. The lyrics reflect this ethic, as Temple invites the listener into warm relatability with new stories and metaphors through which to view their experience. I find the overarching sentiment of Hallow in one of its simplest lyrics, the gang-vocaled “I’ll mess it up” of the penultimate track, “Little Light.” Together, we can find splendor in admitting the imperfection of change.
credits
released October 2, 2020
Recorded at Plus Minus Studios, Loud Audio Workshop, & Community Full Gospel Church
Engineered by Sean Cho, Ryan Yingst
Mixed by Sean Cho
Mastered by Vaughn Woosley
Produced by David Beck, Nic Temple
All songs written by Portrait People
All lyrics written by Nic Temple
Nic Temple - vocals, guitar
David Beck - bass guitar, guitar
Mike Law - drums, guitar on track 4
David Pawlowski - lead guitar
additional musicians:
Laurel Wain - vocals on tracks 3, 6, 7, & 8
Dylan Kersten - piano on track 8, vocals on track 6
Washboard Tony - aux percussion
Katie Morrow - cello on track 1
Angelo Fiaretti - group vox on track 9
This split EP from two France-based musicians is a gem, both artists recalling the glory days of slowcore in their heart-tugging melodies. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 11, 2023
Jack Goldstein's deeply personal exploration of love and grief is expressed here through a blend of emo and hyperpop. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 12, 2022
Bouncy, jangly power pop with a slash of acidic shadow, as the very best twee always has. From Boston, they met at band camp (not Bandcamp). Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 2, 2019