On “Lil Rich”, the opening track of Skeletons‘ latest LP, People, lead singer Matt Mehlan sings softly over subtle acoustic guitar strings: “Lil Rich got his face shot off/For three, four days, the cops didn’t clean it up/All the people getting on the bus, had to walk over his hair and his teeth in a pool of blood/This wasn’t my home, but I live here.”

These lyrics set up the premise for what turns out to be a politically charged, and socially conscious, record. The aptly titled effort investigates the foundations of human nature, and despite its harsh realism revolving around stories of corrupt government, tainted youth, and the troubled interactions of human connectivity, Mehlan tries to omit a hint of optimism despite it all, stating, “I still believe in people, I think I still believe in people.”

However, “Lil Rich” is not the only example of tragic, real-life happenings that Mehlan has chosen to highlight. “Wal-Mart and The Ghost Of Jimmy Damour” refers to the late Wal-Mart employee who was trampled to death during a Black Friday sale, while “Barack Obama Blues”, well, pretty much speaks for itself. Some could conceive People as a declaration that there is still good left in us; although, Mehlan’s horrendous tales of past events makes it hard to think of anything else.

Since his inception into Chicago’s vivacious indie scene over a decade ago, Mehlan’s Skeletons project has implored a handful of similar monikers (Skeletons & The Girl-Faced Boys, Skeletons and The Kings Of All Cities) and have released several independent – and always conscientious – albums. People is no different, continuing to perpetuate Mehlan’s favouritism of math and indie rock, finding him exploring more complex musical arrangements and, as always, lengthy, DIY friendly jams, though none as eldritch as Lucas‘ “Push Im Out”.

Skeletons has always been far from a pop project, rarely if ever enacting choruses and simple refrains, and with People, Mehlan strives even further into experimental, avant-garde hipster art. Musically, some of the tracks here can be a bit too lengthy at times; however, its strengths are delivered chiefly through Mehlan’s socially drawn lyrics.