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.

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.

[8] As a result, McMahon decided to continue working on the band's then-upcoming album earlier than intended and sessions were held with producer John Fields.

[11][14] In September 2010, Jack's Mannequin rented a house in Joshua Tree, California, where they wrote dozens of songs for the subsequent two months.

[15] They wanted a producer who was skilled at recording bands live, and eventually contacted Jim Scott, who had worked on some of McMahon's favorite albums.

[17] Jack's Mannequin recorded live with a line-up that consisted of guitarist Bobby Anderson on bass, McMahon on piano and Jay McMillan on drums.

[15] They would later collaborate with Rob Cavallo and Wirt, and also went on to work with Sebastian Steinberg of Soul Coughing, Chris Chaney of Jane's Addiction, and Tim Pierce, and Patrick Warren.

Nigel Lundemo and Lars Fox were additional Pro Tools engineers; the latter on "Release Me" and the former on "My Racing Thoughts", "Television", "Amy, I", "People, Running", and "Amelia Jean".

[17] People and Things has been classed as alternative rock and has drawn comparisons with the works of Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and Elton John.

[22][23] McMahon took inspiration from some of his favorite musicians, such as Joel, Paul Simon and Neil Young, as well as newer music by bands including Mumford & Sons, Phoenix and Arcade Fire.

[17] McMahon co-wrote "Television" with Jaren Johnston of American Bang,[26] and "Amy, I", "People, Running" and "Platform Fire" with Matt Thiessen of Relient K in Nashville, Tennessee, in January 2010.

[42][43] While on tour for the album, McMahon revisited a venue at which he played during the early days of Jack's Mannequin, where he wrote the song's third verse; according to him, "it just seemed appropriate somehow".

[45] During the recording of The Glass Passenger, McMahon decided to take a rest-break partway through the sessions, and drove to New York City to meet a friend after learning of his plans to go on a surfing trip in Costa Rica.

[46][47] While traveling, McMahon bought a keyboard and worked on pieces of songs; he met up with his friend at a bar, which led to the creation of "Amelia Jean".

[37][39] "Casting Lines" was a last-minute addition to People and Things; McMahon had initially been asked to submit a theme song for the television show Parenthood.

[22][37] "Ten Days Gone" was written by McMahon after he relaxed at Laguna Beach, California, and features Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers drummer Steve Ferrone.

[63] On May 31, 2011, McMahon announced the album's title, People and Things,[64] after which the band went on a headlining North American tour in June and July, with support from Steel Train, Lady Danville and River James.

[74] The iTunes deluxe edition of the album includes the bonus tracks "No Man Is an Island", "Ten Days Gone", "Dancing with a Gun", and "Broken Bird".

[78] During the release week of People and Things, Jack's Mannequin held a number of events to promote it: a film screening in New York City, which consisted of short films for every song on the album—each of them were directed by a separate director from the US, UK, Germany and Australia; a livestream question-and-answer session and performance by McMahon; and a collaboration between the band and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, during which they debuted orchestral arrangements of their songs.

[79] In October and November 2011, Jack's Mannequin went on the People and Things Tour of the US, for which they were supported by Motion City Soundtrack, Company of Thieves, Lady Danville, Lenka, Allen Stone, and Scars on 45.

[88] AllMusic reviewer Andrew Leahey called it "[s]tronger than The Glass Passenger and spottier than Everything in Transit" and noted McMahon "consolidating his strengths".

[27] Eric Allen of American Songwriter wrote that the lyrics were "delivered with staunch veracity that makes the subject matter seem transcendent", and hailed the record as "the most musically cohesive album in the band's catalog thus far".

[22] Billboard writer Mikael Wood said the "more expensive" song arrangements compliment McMahon's "hyper-expressive" vocal style, though commented that they infrequently make his "songwriting feel less distinct than it has in the past".

[23] Blurt's John B. Moore stated that the lyrics on the album are still "a tad bit heavy on overwrought emotions" as they were during McMahon's Something Corporate days.

[89] Consequence of Sound writer Nick Freed said People and Things "rarely fails" to provide the listener with "a little rush of melancholic joy".

[37] Melodic reviewer Johan Wippsson found that it "does not differ in quality" when compared to Everything in Transit and The Glass Passenger, and said the album was more "uptempo and happy" in comparison to the latter.

"[39] Ezell explained that the album simply serves to "add more tuneful tracks" to Jack's Mannequin's repertoire, being "fine for a casual listen, but that's about all that it demands".

[39] Megan Rozell from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said the album wraps up the loose ends of Everything in Transit and The Glass Passenger, tying them "together to create a mind-blowing sound" throughout the record.

[93] Sputnikmusic staff writer Steve M called it "another piano-rock album" in the same strain of Something Corporate with the "lyrical maturity" of Passenger and the "fun elements" of Transit while remaining McMahon's "most cohesive work yet".

[91] According to the reviewer, the album "guarantees results for long-time fans" but "doesn't attract the kind of attention needed to spark a fresh interest" in the group.