People R Ugly: From Garage Jams to Festival Anthems

The garage was never a glamorous place. It was cramped, hot, and hardly the kind of environment meant to launch a career. Yet for the band People R Ugly, that setting became the birthplace of their unique sound. Now, four years later, the Los Angeles four-piece—vocalist Zak Dossi, drummer Tristan Kevitch, bassist and vocalist Bill Biers, and lead guitarist Julian DelGrosso—is preparing to release their debut album, aptly titled GARAGE. What began as late-night experiments has evolved into festival anthems, viral breakthroughs, and some of the most unpredictable tracks to emerge from their scene.

“‘WAKE UP’ doesn’t sound like anything we’ve ever made before,” Zak says about their single. “We used vocoder effects and experimented with production in a way that surprised even us. When we listened back, we thought, ‘How did we even write this?’”

This mix of disbelief and excitement has defined their journey. In just a few years, the group has transformed from a name brainstormed in five days into a band preparing to release an album that refuses to take a backseat. “Every song was made in my garage,” Zak explains. “You can feel that in the music—just four friends figuring it out. Their catalog reflects a restless energy. The breakout track "Better" features a heavy 808 beat and a sample from the hip-hop duo YoungBloodZ, giving the song a punch of Southern swagger. In contrast, "THINKIN BOUT YOU" leans into R&B influences, transforming heartbreak into something celebratory. "The writing was almost mindless," Tristan recalls. "It was about the energy and the danceable nature of it."

That willingness to take risks has paid off. When "THINKIN ABOUT YOU" debuted at Lollapalooza, the crowd responded immediately. "By the second chorus, people who had never heard it before were already singing along," Zak says. "That's when we realized we could step into a pop lane, and people would still ride with us." The band's momentum is also the result of relentless hard work. Tristan remembers the early days: "Before we even had a band, I was cold-calling venues to book shows. It’s that go-getter attitude. Being a good musician is just one percent of this. You can't wait for someone to do it for you. You just go. That mentality carried over to social media, where growth was initially slow. “For two years, nothing we posted got any attention,” Zak admits. “Then it just clicked. Even now, if something feels like a forced promotion, we won't post it. Fans can tell when you're not being genuine.” Instead, they embraced authenticity. “The reason 'BETTER' took off was that we demonstrated how we created it,” Tristan explains. “It didn’t feel like marketing; it felt like inviting people in.” Festivals have become the band’s proving ground. Tristan adds, “Honestly, it’s easier to perform in front of a few thousand people than to headline a show with just 300.”

At Lollapalooza, that energy culminated in one of their biggest highlights when Tom Higgenson of the Plain White T’s joined them on stage for “Hey There Delilah.” “‘Hey There Delilah’ was the first song I ever learned on guitar,” says Zak. “We ended up playing it completely by chance. One of the main stage headliners had just finished, so the crowd was already flooding in. At that moment, Tom Higgenson happened to be walking by. Suddenly, he was on stage with us, singing the song. I looked over at Bill and thought, ‘This is the craziest moment of my life.’ Watching the crowd swell while we played that song with Tom was unforgettable.” Even after their set extended beyond the allotted time and the sound was cut off, the audience refused to let them leave. “The crowd just went wild,” Zak laughs. “The sound guy finally said, ‘Forget it, go for it.’ They let us play an encore. That was iconic.”

This unpredictability now characterizes their live shows. “We always play the big songs that people know, but after that, we switch things up,” Tristan explains. “At Warped, we played a deep cut called ‘Deep End,’ and people loved it. At Lollapalooza, we dropped a rap-inspired track, and it went off. It keeps us excited, and it keeps fans guessing.” Sometimes, the surprises are even bigger—like opening a set with Travis Scott’s “FE!N.” “Nobody expects it,” Zak says. “The joke either lands or it doesn’t—either way, we’re having fun.” For the fans, the connection is already strong. Half of their current setlist consists of unreleased songs, yet the audience sings along as if the tracks were already classics. “People are singing before the songs even drop,” Tristan says. “That’s the coolest part—when the music isn’t out yet, and they’re yelling the lyrics back.” The effort behind the scenes has been relentless. “People don’t see the 15 or 20 songs we didn’t use,” Zak says. “We’ve been writing, editing, mixing, shooting videos, and producing everything ourselves. It’s been nonstop.” This independent spirit defines the group. As Tristan puts it, “No one’s going to do it for you. You just have to make it happen.”

Even the band’s name embodies that same attitude. “We came up with it in just five days,” Tristan explains. “At first, it was just meant to grab attention. Now it conveys an ‘I don’t care’ attitude. It’s memorable—you see it on a marquee and think, ‘I want to see that band.’” What comes next is already in motion. For a band that once hustled its way into gigs before even forming, that drive hasn’t faded. Tristan states simply, “We want people to walk away feeling like they had the most fun possible. If we can do that, then we’re doing it right.” From the garage to the main stage, People R Ugly are proving that fun might just be the loudest legacy of all.