#FeatureFriday – Under the Rainbow by Shapes Like People

Feature Friday
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Idyllically sitting along the River Avon lies the village of Downton. It’s there, about 100 miles southwest of London, that you will find Shapes Like People, the husband-and-wife duo of Carl and Kat Mann.

First off, Track 5. Supergirl is one of my favorite songs of the last few years, it’s perfect. In every way. It’s composition, arrangement, melody and performance.

So how does the rest of the album hold up? Well, it does, it flies high with it’s production and songwriting. The dual vocals of Carl and Kat are impeccable but when Kat goes solo her voice has the quality of Kirsty McColl and Voice of the Beehive sisters Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke.

Overall Under the Rainbow has a quality that is disarming. It feels thick with a melancholy that weirdly shines, it’s a light touch that manages to carry a weight of emotion. The further you move into the album the more it opens itself to you. Good indie guitar pop will do that, it’s not a one pop now you can stop deal. It has more depth than that.

It’s such an impressive album that if you have the time to invest you will be rewarded.

Untidy Music

Something that might surprise people who know what kind of music I generally listen to, is that “Under the Rainbow” has been consistently in my rotation since it came out in April. The reasons for that are simply that the album sounds absolutely fantastic and that it hits an emotional nerve inside of me.

The sound is easy to explain: it’s JanglePop, with the usual twangy guitars, light percussion and gentle bass, completed by the occasional keys. I very much appreciate that Shapes Like People kept the amount of ballads fairly low in this album, so the energy level is nice and high; making it easy to just bop along with the tracks. The highlight for me are the vocals, however. Kat and Carl have voices that complement each other perfectly, feeling warm, inviting and just friendly. Both are also extremely good at expressing emotion, drawing the audience in quite quickly.

As for the emotional component, each track is basically a snapshot of a romantic relationship, one that isn’t that fresh anymore and that has been through ups and downs, yet has arrived in a place that is more relaxed and understanding than a new relationship might be. The songs don’t sugarcoat things, but they make it sound like the biggest problems have been dealt with already, leaving the hardship behind as a memory. I can actually see a lot of similarities between the lyrics and my own life with my partner. The music reminds me of the happiness that I have in my life, and I’m very grateful for it.

Overall, this is an incredibly easy album to listen to, thanks to its engaging sound and pretty brisk pace. It may not technically be music in a genre that I often gravitate to, but sometimes life throws surprises your way. I wholeheartedly recommend this one!

Florgoth

Updated: October 9, 2026 — 5:44 am

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