People and Things

People and Things
Three different coloured intersecting circles with the small figure of a man on top of the middle one
Studio album by
Jack's Mannequin
ReleasedOctober 4, 2011
RecordedNovember 2010 – January 2011
Studio
  • Plyrz
  • Lightning Sound
  • Mid City Sound
  • Fourth Street
  • Capitol
GenreAlternative rock
Length40:32
LabelSire
Producer
Jack's Mannequin chronology
The Glass Passenger
(2008) 		People and Things
(2011) 		Live from the El Rey Theatre
(2013)
Singles from People and Things
  1. "My Racing Thoughts"
    Released: August 2, 2011
  2. "Release Me"
    Released: November 8, 2011

People and Things is the third and final studio album by American rock band Jack's Mannequin. It was released on October 4, 2011, through Sire Records. Following the release of The Glass Passenger (2008), the band's vocalist and pianist, Andrew McMahon, spent time during 2009 and 2010 writing, recording and then scrapping tracks for the follow-up. Shifting focus to his live band in a period during 2010, they began to work on new material. With the aid of producers Jim Scott and Rob Cavallo, the album was recorded at several studios from November 2010 to January 2011. The lead single "My Racing Thoughts" was released in August 2011, followed by the release of "Release Me" in November of that year, which was promoted by an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

People and Things is an alternative rock album that took inspiration from some of McMahon's favorite musicians and contemporaneous acts. McMahon solely wrote the majority of it alone but some songs were co-written with Jaren Johnston of American Bang and Matt Thiessen of Relient K. The main theme is relationships; the songs are about marriage, family and the difficulties of maintaining a relationship. McMahon worked on the album with a variety of session musicians and members of bands, including Jamie Muhoberac, Chris Chaney of Jane's Addiction, and Patrick Warren.

People and Things received generally positive reviews from music critics, some of whom praised the songwriting. The album charted at number nine on the US Billboard 200, selling 31,000 copies in the first week. It also performed well on the Billboard Alternative, Top Rock, and Vinyl component charts. Jack's Mannequin embarked on tours of the United States, Australia and Japan.