YARD ACT Vinyl & CDs

Review: Where's My Utopia? is the highly anticipated follow up to Leeds post-punk darlings Yard Act's Mercury Prize-nominated debut LP The Overload, and continues their eccentric, whimsical and sobering assessment of life in modern day Britain with a cheeky smile plastered over decades of embittered rage. Following on from last year's bizarre Black Mirror-inspired eight-minute single 'The Trench Coat Museum', this sophomore effort succeeds at every turn a second album should. Linking up with Gorillaz' Remi Kabaka Jr to handle production, the move has led to a curious wading into influences that might have seemed obvious to outside ears, with a newfound embracing of new wave synth pop whilst tapping into the psychedelic sonic world and political ethos of Fela Kuti. Lyrically, taking the UK to further task for its endless shopping list of fuck ups, whilst also touching on their seemingly overnight ascension, and the irony that comes with being signed to a subsidiary of another monolithic, faceless corporation endorsing the myriad of issues completely at odds with the morals embedded into the Yard Act DNA, Where's My Utopia? sees the band beating everyone to the punch, both musically and topically.

Review: Where's My Utopia? is the follow up to the Leeds band's critically-acclaimed debut record The Overload, which arrived in January 2022. A co-production between Yard Act and Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr., this latest album comes across as a meditation on the contemporary post-Fordist condition of the creative worker. Speaking about 'Dream Job', the band's James Smith said: "'Dream Job' feels like an apt introduction to the themes explored on Where's My Utopia? - though not all encompassing. In part I was scrutinising and mocking myself for being a moaning ungrateful little brat, whilst also trying to address how the music industry is this rather uncontrollable beast that hurtles forward unthinkingly, and every single person involved in it plays their part." Echoing the conflicted inner turmoil of reluctant bandleaders such as Mark E Smith of the Fall - "it's a constant battle" - and the sonic affect of Talking Heads, the album addresses a question central to our times: what do you do when everything you've ever wanted suddenly lands in your lap, but the questions still keep on coming? How do you handle fame and success, when your fans secretly resent the structures that elevated you to that status? Despite these contradictions, all this doesn't stop James Smith, Ryan Needham and Sam Shipstone from delivering a rip-roaring album as expected. If they can find the motivation to make such effective music despite their doubts (meditating on present conditions of poverty while keeping up a smile), then so, perhaps, can you.

Review: Following on from 2022's critically acclaimed, Mercury Prize nominated debut LP The Overload, crossing over the bridge provided by last year's absurdist, Black Mirror-indebted eight-minute stand alone single 'The Trench Coat Museum', everyone's new favourite Leeds based post-punks Yard Act are set to capitalise on their momentous winning streak with the highly anticipated sophomore effort Where's My Utopia? Recorded in collaboration with Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr handling production duties, sonically the band have opted to open their playful dynamic to as many sprawling influences as possible, simultaneously leaning into synth-laden new wave territory whilst citing Fela Kuti's political messaging and worldly psychedelia as an integral aspect. As lyrically snide and sharp as ever, the reliable brand of tongue-firmly-in-cheek socio-political commentary reaches ludicrous new heights when unpacking the band's success to date, their self-awareness of being signed to a subsidiary of a subsidiary of another soulless corporation aggressively at odds with the members' personal ethos, and even the increasing admiration/begrudgery that stems from the ascension within the eyes of their supporters. It's all clever, dense, humorous and delivered via an onslaught of razor-focused bangers. In essence, it's Yard Act.

Review: Setting the stage for their as-of-yet untitled sophomore full-length, Leeds based indie darlings Yard Act have unveiled their eight-minute opus-like standalone single The Trenchcoat Museum. Channeling a new wave promiscuity and frenetic synth-laden playfulness into their pre-established sound, while tip-toeing a fine line between scathing self-analysis and reliably humourous absurdity, the piece serves as an indicator of their current sonic trajectory, while showcasing an introspective look at their sudden meteoric rise over the past few years. Complete with an accompanying Black Mirror-esque music video directed by James Slater, and a B-side flip remix by the incomparable Arthur Baker, anticipation is rife for where the band are leading their myriad of avid followers. Serving as both an extension of the narrative set in place by last year's exceptional debut LP The Overload, and a bridging point to their next aesthetic era, this new single offers newcomers a welcome chance to play catch up before the mayhem commences all over again.

Review: RECOMMENDED
The thing everyone needs to understand about the UK is the disparity between projected image and real life is almost as overwhelming as the rich-poor divide. On the one hand, there's posturing of pomp, pageantry, grandeur and decorum. Then you actually get here and realise there are really only two types of inhabitants of this island nation, and few of either have manners - those who only give a shit about themselves, and the often eccentric others who do want to help those they pass on the street.

Yard Act, arguably the best thing we've heard to come out of Leeds since the emergence of super-talented techno producer Happa, directly address the first category of British resident in this, their startlingly raw and delightfully off-centre debut album. From middle class trendies to Brexiteering belligerents, think Sleaford Mods providing a backing track to IDLES' observational poetry, with an added dose of Jarvis Cocker-esque theatrics, only less camp, much rawer.