Fresh off a whirlwind tour supporting Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Common People sounded equal parts exhausted, grateful, and excited for what comes next. The conversation with them never felt like a formal interview so much as listening to a group of friends swapping stories on a long drive home.

Between jokes, the band shared insights on their debut EP, Games, radiating the same warmth and effortless charm that has quickly made them one of indie rock’s most promising young acts across America’s stages.

The band found its roots at the University of Southern California, where they met across different friend groups and class years. Guitarist Asher Thompson recalled how what started as casual jam sessions between friends naturally evolved into meaningful creative collaboration. They quickly bonded over a shared desire to bring the energy of live music into their college social scene, playing at frat parties and local bars.

Although guitarist Sam Belzer offered a playfully cryptic version of the band’s writing process being shrouded in mystery and involves drinking from goblets in a dim room illuminated by only candles, the reality is much more spontaneous!

One of the members typically arrives with an idea, and the band quickly springs off of it together, building around the foundational idea and contributing their own textures and sounds to the creation. Their songs take shape in a way similar to how the band found its beginnings — organically in an improvised jam session.

That same collaborative spirit additionally defines the band's influences. The beauty of Common People is that every member brings entirely different musical tastes into a shared pool of work, crafting a broad spectrum that somehow blends into a cohesive sound. They shared that their musical influences lie “somewhere between Beethoven and Sabrina Carpenter” with a heavy dose of Radiohead, if we’re getting real.

The band also mentioned inspirations ranging from classic rock staples like The Beatles to 2000’s groups like Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem. Long drives between stops on tours have only expanded this library, giving them about 12,000 miles and endless hours to dive into new music together.

Brad Shultz of Cage the Elephant has become another major influence on Common People’s development. The guys thoughtfully shared that he had believed in them early on and had become an important creative mentor, helping them produce Games. He brought an intense focus and joy to the studio, teaching them while holding to a playful sense of humor. Having grown up listening to Cage the Elephant, getting to witness and engage in Shultz’s creative process firsthand was a wonderful and educational experience that the band looks fondly on.

The release of Games arrived in the middle of the band’s first major tour, only adding to the surreal nature of the experience. Belzer admitted that despite the excitement of the release, the chaos of constant travel, performances, and late nights often took mental precedence as the band adjusted to a new life on tour. Still, the project marked a major milestone for Common People, as up until then, the band had been releasing standalone singles.

For this tour, they created vinyl pressings of Games to be sold at the merch table and online (go get your copy!). Seeing their music transformed into something tangible was an exciting moment for them that made everything feel a little more real.

One of the EP’s standout tracks, “Don’t Fall,” has already built a reputation as a fan-favorite after the band’s Lollapalooza aftershow performance last year. The song has likewise been met with so much love from fans on their most recent tour, with the crowd raising their phone lights during the song’s slow-burning buildup. This track in particular has evolved significantly over time, beginning as one version onstage before gradually transforming through several iterations in the studio.

The band explained that the track has developed its own distinct personality, as they played it live for so long before ever taking it to the studio. This bleeds into the feeling of the EP and the identity of Common People as a whole. Games is less so a definitive statement and more a tapestry weaving together years of work into a snapshot of a group evolving and still discovering itself. Each track on the EP reveals a unique facet of their sound, and the unpredictability of future work excites them the most moving forward, as they hope to create a full record in the near future.

They shared that a dull moment on tour has been rare, with car troubles scattered between gambling victories, tattoos, and karaoke nights. Discovering cities, meeting people, and sharing stages with bands they admire, the band has experienced so many new things together and has had a blast. Their final night of the tour leg with Rainbow Kitten Surprise was a particular standout as they celebrated with a karaoke night where multi-instrumentalist Drew Long reportedly took on “Wonderwall” by Oasis. Over the course of the tour, some of the guys have taken up an interest in wine and viticulture, while others have explored film photography during downtime.

While the band takes some much-needed rest to enjoy some home-cooked meals and for vocalist Nicky Winegardner to hang with Chief, “the chillest dog of all time”, the band released their latest single on May 15. Titled “Blue Eyes”, the song has been a staple of their setlist on their most recent tour, and as one of the very first songs they ever began creating together, it carries a special significance to the band.

The song carries a bright, nostalgic feeling and carries a vintage charm into a modern, indie-rock feel. They fittingly describe the song as having an undeniable “song of the summer” energy, perfect for the time of release as spring transitions into summer.

Common People has already grown and created so much in recent years, and RØKKR cannot wait to see what incredible places they go next!

COMMON PEOPLE | WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE

COMMON PEOPLE:

Nicky Winegardner (vocals)
Cormac Cadden (drums)
Konrad Ulich (bass, vocals)
Asher Thomson (guitar)
Sam Belzer (guitar)

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