Published
Yard Act, pure fun.
That makes three. The Overload (2022), nominated for the Mercury Prize, Where's My Utopia? (2024), and You're Gonna Need A Little Music, released on 17 July, is their liveliest, most physical and most pop album yet. It is still fast-talking post-punk, but for the first time the muscle is not in the discourse: it is in the band sounding like one solid unit.
James Smith (vocals), Ryan Needham (bass), Sam Shipstone (guitar) and Jay Russell (drums) shut themselves away for five months, wrote between 40 and 50 songs, and went off to record while all playing together in the same room. First in Leeds, at Chapel and The Nave, then in Los Angeles at Chez JMJ, with Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Nine Inch Nails, Beck, M83) producing. And you can hear it.
If you were hoping for songs, there are plenty. They do not disappoint, precisely because they let themselves take things a little less seriously.
Empty Pledges comes first, almost solemn, but do not be fooled.
New Beginnings, the first taste of the record, is Yard Act at their most British, complete with a singalong chorus. Tall Tales and Fiction keep the tension up, with guitars that recall their beginnings but a much cleaner production.
The heart of the album sits in the middle. The title track, You're Gonna Need A Little Music, works perfectly as an acceleration lane. Cherophobe Rock is a dancefloor belter, nervous funk made for a six o'clock festival slot. And Thrill Of The Chase is the hit, my favourite: 2:30 of breakneck rhythm, with Smith rapping at dizzying speed over a propulsive backing track.
They lower the pulse in the second half without losing their edge. Janey Said relaxes and draws you in, almost a nocturnal ballad. Redeemer, despite being a single, sits a step behind the rest. Talky Talky People closes in on The Stranglers, while Over The Barrel is bright and good-natured, ending an album that asks to be danced to more than analysed.
Yard Act have proved that they are a band. And you can see it for yourself live. They have confirmed two dates in Spain: 20 October at Sala Apolo in Barcelona and 21 October at Teatro Eslava in Madrid.
Tracklist: 1. Empty Pledges / 2. New Beginnings / 3. Tall Tales / 4. Fiction / 5. You're Gonna Need A Little Music / 6. Cherophobe Rock / 7. Thrill Of The Chase / 8. Janey Said / 9. Redeemer / 10. Talky Talky People / 11. Over The Barrel
77/100