Yard Act returns with “You’re Gonna Need A Little Music“, a record that delivers brilliant/razor-sharp lyrics from a person going through an anxiety attack while doing it with the coolest swagger. Yard Act has pushed away from the glossy disco-punk and dance-pop flourishes of their last record, ‘Where’s My Utopia?‘, and this third studio effort trades in studio sheen for a more raw, confrontational, and wildly energetic rock edge. Thank you…. seriously… You chose wisely. I guess the best way to put it would be that this band of misfits from Leeds sounds like a band embracing the sheer joy of playing together, landing somewhere between a high-energy live show and some weird-ass late-night philosophical debate at the local watering hole.
After listening to this record a few times, also because Xtine kept talking my ear off about it, here are three standout tracks that grabbed me by the ears and screamed, “keep fucking listening”. First track, “Empty Pledges” kicks off the party by daring you to keep up, blending almost five minutes of gnarly, tom-heavy drums and paranoid, but good, kinda like spoken-word poetry into a solid kick-ass opening track. Then there is the song “New Beginnings“, which is an absolute joyride of a track that wears its 90’s indie-pop influences proudly on its sleeve, complete with catchy hooks and a fuzzy guitar solo. I mean…. I’m a sucker for both but whatever. Finally, the scorching single “Redeemer” I feel was the standout track on the album and possibly their absolute ripper on the release, with that raw/badass energy shining through that leaves your head spinning… but somehow made me feel confident as hell?!… I don’t know… just give it a spin and hear what I’m hearing damnit.
Musically, “You’re Gonna Need A Little Music” is like an overly romantic ode to alt-rock royalty while retaining the band’s signature British kitchen-sink wit. Imagine that they are channeling the breezy lounge-pop of Beck, the cheeky swagger of Blur, the chaotic kineticism of LCD Soundsystem/The Prodigy, and even the dark intensity of someone like Massive Attack. Not sure that makes sense, but I’m going with it. Frontman James Smith’s vocal delivery bounces effortlessly between psychotic tirades and soulful crooning, which is a purely great transition from their previous work; though still good, this sound they’re creating now is both original and entirely their own. All in all… this album fucking rules and you need to listen to it.
Links of interest:
https://www.instagram.com/yardactband
https://linktr.ee/yardact