The best longplayer of the past month

1 February 2022

Band: YARD ACT
Who: Outspoken mavericks from Leeds (UK) led by
sharp-cutting storyteller James Smith
Album: THE OVERLOAD
Released: 21 January 2022 – purchase here here.

NME says: “Fire up the Rover! The Leeds band’s debut is a wild ride through their Yorkshire upbringing, and the curly characters they picked up along the way. The familiar touchstones
of the post-punk scene’s rigid sound – minimalist grooves, sharp guitars – are all here, but the band thrive when they shake up the magic eight ball… The tunes, however, are secondary to how miraculous the story of Yard Act existing is, really. Having made their debut just 18 months ago, and now due for an upcoming sold-out slate of UK shows, their journey is a reminder that the most rewarding endeavours – in life or art – sometimes arrive later than you expect or had hoped. Good things may come to those who wait patiently, but for those who put the graft in, like Yard Act, it tastes all the sweeter.” Full review here. Score: 4/5.

Turn Up The Volume: If you can make it in Leeds, you can make it everywhere, and
when iconic crooner Elton John says he’s a fan (read all about it here) you know you’re a crocodile rock band on the verge of world domination. Their debut LP makes the press and their by now massive fanbase (#2 on UK’s Album Chart last week) go ballistic.

They rattle and rumble while sharp-cutting wordsmith James Smith spits and sneers, like
a punked-up Mark E Smith, about all the bullshit and about all the bullshitters that mess up our already long messed-up society. It’s only January, but this is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most remarkable 2022 albums.

Here’s why…

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YARD ACT: Facebook

Read the full interview of NME with frontman James Smith here