For most of us, life is a series of human interactions; some good, some bad,some happy, some sad. But what would life be without those peripheralcharacters whoplant themselves into our worlds through the sheer force oftheir presence? Whether we speak to them or not, those vibrant contraststo the everyday tide of ordinary people are a magical part of the humanexperience. Oddballs and misfits, flamboyant instigators or low-key gamechangers, we allclockthem on ourownhecticjourneys, and they make theday a little brighter. Everyone has their favourite people.Following the runaway success of their firstone-shot single in 2020,Favourite People reconvene for a full-length of blues-tingedcutsstemmingfrom sessions at Selva Studios in Brooklyn. The project’s roots predate thestudio,fromscattered jamsand sweaty nights in New York nightspotstoimprompturecordings on cruise ships, butthe flashpoint ofinspirationthat truly set the album in motion wasthearrival of a blonde1960sFenderTelecaster.From there, the motley crew of sharp-shooting string slingersand sticksmen set about crafting paeans to those striking souls who makethe world a more colourful place.The emphasis here is on the kind of forward-facing, electrically-chargedmixyou felt (whether you realised it or not) hearing early Sabbath or Priestfor the first time.With their undeniable bias towards vintage soul,Favourite People arefar from heavy metal, but the same lineage of bluesand by extension jazz informs the music, while the tonal crunch of that 70sera guides the sound.Feasting on tasteful overdrive and leaning on theunmistakable flavour of tape for much of the recording,the deal was sealedon this purposeful exercise in vibethanks tothe near-mythical texture ofGuy Davie’s EMI Nigeriaconsole at Electric Mastering.Across the album there are mellow shades and bursts of good-time get-down exuberance, but the lead singles capture the essence of the band in nouncertain terms.‘Promise Of Nibbles’ brings the Favourite People MO into sharp relief witha low-slung, hard swinging blues confectionfull of overheating organ andduelling guitars in pursuit of Southern-stewedboogie (im)perfection.

‘We’ll Be Late To The Party’ turnsupthe tempoanddials in the fuzz,striking an anthemic note which lands somewhere betweenurgenthighway escapism and euphoric communal revelation.‘Mass and Mustiness’ leans in on the funkdimension of the group’s soundwiththe sweetest licks and chops on that fabled telecaster backed up by anacutely angled beat and the slinkiest of b-lines.These are but three of the vibrant vignettes laid down by this quietlyunassuming collective of heads down jammers, loose groovers and vintagesound freaks—heavy grooving instrumentals pulled from their ownmoments of pure musical magic and captured on disc for your listening,dancing, living, loving pleasure.