YARD ACT PUSH THEIR OBSERVATIONS AND VIEWS WITH SECOND ALBUM ‘WHERE’S MY UTOPIA?’

THE LEEDS BAND ACHIEVE THEIR SECOND TOP FIVE ALBUM

After the success of their 2022 debut album “The Overload”, Leeds four-piece Yard Act have returned with their second album, “Where’s My Utopia?”. Storytelling their way through the 11 track record, Yard Act combine an eclectic range of elements and concepts to create a variety of sounds. Nonchalant vocals from James Smith follow a foundation of eclectic sounds made by drummer Jay Russell, bass riffs by Ryan Needham and guitar hooks/solos from Sam Shipstone.

“Where’s My Utopia?” is an album that was highly anticipated before its release but personally, I think this anticipation for an album I’d love quickly turned to a level of disappointment. Overall, there was little movement from their debut album, however this may be a positive for some listeners, making musical subjectivity an intriguing thing.

The unenthusiastic approach just seems weirdly monotonous in tracks like ‘A Vineyard for the North’, ‘Down by the Stream’ and ‘Petroleum’. The latter of these three sounds like it needs to be wound up, a bit like a record played at the wrong speed or tempo. Despite this, I think the unenthusiastic vocal style works in a couple of the tracks like ‘Blackpool Illuminations’ which serves as a conversational response to therapy or an interview. This particular track reflects on a traumatic childhood experience, with nostalgic references like “fizzy fish”. This forms the title of another track and ‘Fizzy Fish’ as a song follows the same unique, somewhat messy style as those previously mentioned.

Even with messy melodies and quite dull dynamics within some of the tracks, there’s no denying that Yard Act’s approach to lyricism is interesting. From catchy choruses and tongue-twisting verses, the group have penned a goldmine of phrases that will relate to a vast audience of people, regardless of their backgrounds. Even in the songs I’m not so fond of, the sense of reflection is immense with lyrics like “when I was just a boy like you” and “what’s the guilt worth, if you choose when you feel it?”.

Catchy choruses being a common occurrence also partially makes up for the lack of enthusiasm in the vocals. Tracks like ‘The Undertow’, ‘Grifter’s Grief’ and ‘We Make Hits’ all fall into this description. Each of these three tunes also share a similarity in their lyrical content and the messages within. They discuss the feeling of knowing the temporary status of everything in life and the grief that comes with losing what we love, and loving what we’ve lost. Lines including “we’re all gonna sink”, “I feel safe in the knowledge, we’re all gonna be demolished”, and “taste the tears and prosper or obliterate your grief” drive this theme further.

It may seem as though I’ve been overly negative about “Where’s My Utopia?”, but the album isn’t all bad and there are still several songs I enjoy listening to, and do so frequently. Included in this selection are opening track, ‘An Illusion’, ‘When the Laughter Stops’ (with Katy J Pearson) and ‘Dream Job’. Each of these are upbeat and lighter, yet still providing the fundamental ranty lyrics that Yard Act have made their staple. ‘Dream Job’ and ‘When the Laughter Stops’ were both singles from the record, and part of the reason I was so excited to hear the full album. I think these three songs are the strongest from the album, and are the only ones I’ve added to playlists of mine.

While his is a very strong album from Yard Act, it’s clear by the numbers that my opinion differs from the norm. I think unless I spend a lot of time trying to understand the other songs, my three picks from the record will always stay the same. I do love Yard Act, and love that they stand apart from a generic indie-rock agenda, but I wasn’t as excited about listening to “Where’s My Utopia?” in full as I thought I would be.