The rowdy band from Leeds opens a few new doors into chaos for postpunk.
Two years ago, Yard Act reached second place in the official British album charts with their debut album THE OVERLOAD. This was a huge leap for the band from Leeds, who had recently released their first singles on their own label. Yard Act underlined their success with numerous festival appearances in 2023: from Reading to Latitude and the Corona Capital Festival in Mexico City to Primavera. In the midst of last year’s tour marathon, the musicians also wrote new songs; they took the joy of the imponderable from live operations; a sound passage on WHERE’S MY UTOPIA? emerged from a 12-minute live improvisation after a guitar accident.
Opening up wherever you listen: The pre-release single “Dream Job” is a piece of post-punk disco funk, perfectly produced by Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr. “The Undertow” starts with beats straight out of the box and becomes a dream pop song, at least by Yard Act standards. “We Make Hits” is the roughest of chaos rock songs. In general, the funkiness that jumps out of the beats and bass here also reveals a clear trace of the DIY circle of the late 70s and early 80s from Leeds: Gang Of Four, Delta 5, Scritti Politti, MRA. Historical awareness, political statements, spoken word drama: like its predecessor, this album deserves a Mercury Prize nomination.
You can find out which albums will be released in March 2024 via our monthly release list.