’…Don’t let the thumping dance rhythms and electrifying energy of this album trick you; at its core, ‘Where’s My Utopia?’ is a powerful, painful exploration of what any of this even means…’
Yard Act proved to be a divisive band when it came to their debut record.
The Leeds-based four-piece exploded into the mainstream consciousness of the indie scene with their full-length album ‘The Overload’ back in 2022. Some viewed it as a grounded, witty, thought-provoking critique of life in modern Britain, characterised by minimalist post-punk musicianship and lyricism packed with character and characters. Others viewed it as the latest attempt of four white guys capitalising on the post-punk revival bubble, pushed to the forefront by industry suits and high-profile critics.
Regardless, it went down a storm, hitting number two in the UK album charts, and launching the band into several sold out tours and plenty of shows on the other side of the Atlantic. Now, just a little over two years later, the band are back with their sophomore effort, ‘Where’s My Utopia?’, swapping out stories of landlords called Fat Andy and blokes called Graeme for a far more introspective affair, detailing frontman James Smith’s challenges at dealing with success, privilege, authenticity, and what it even means to be a musician.
Musically, the band have changed things up from their debut just enough to keep things interesting, yet haven’t gone as far as to alienate longtime listeners; it’s a very natural evolution, bringing in dance beats, disco flair, drum machines, and less conventional song structures, yet retaining that core identity of a groove-packed bass-led backbone provided by Ryan Needham, wrapped with glorious musical texturing, and finished off with the killer lyricism of Smith.
Tracks such as ‘Fizzy Fish’ and ‘The Undertow’ thrive on this new formula. Huge bass lines carry these tracks to new and exciting musical locations, whether it’s the swaggering menace of the former, or the driving power of the latter. ‘The Undertow’ in particular stands out, with sweeping strings adding a real sense of grandeur to the whole affair, and some unexpected focus on melody from Smith, adding real power behind the delivery of the weighty lyricism (‘We bare our souls on wax through tender prose/Only to starve them of all purpose/When our findings hit the shelves’).
‘When the Laughter Stops’ features a fantastic appearance from Katy J Pearson on vocals, whilst lead single ‘Dream Job’ serves as the perfect introduction to this new era of Yard Act. Wickedly catchy, with choruses packed with fantastic musical hooks that evolve into backing vocals as the song progresses, ‘Dream Job’ feels purposefully built as a way of easing listeners into this new era. Smith’s acerbic critique of working life, accompanied by catchy instrumentals that slowly build as the track progresses yet retain a simple song structure, make it feel just familiar enough to not be put off by any creative leaps.
That is a very clever choice, as Yard Act truly do get weird on this record. ‘Down by the Stream’ sees Smith reminiscing over childhood innocence, days out to nowhere in particular with scrappy friends and scabby knees, before the track takes a wild tonal shift. The back half is stripped of its punchy breakbeat rhythms and left suspended in a musical limbo, Smith now a dark presence within a vaguely ambient soundscape, grappling with the cruelty of children, and the concept of hurt people hurting people; its a violently powerful moment, as if someone has dragged Smith below the surface of his own memories and held him there until he spills his own guts.
Then there’s the six minute epic of ‘Blackpool Illuminations’, which sees Smith commencing with little more than a conversation with himself, tonally akin to a therapy session, and recounting a childhood trip to Blackpool. Slowly, the track unravels, Smith diving deeper and deeper into his own psyche, detailing how he grew despondent with the world in all of its hopeless misery, before rallying himself together and accepting that whilst there is no utopia for himself, he can still live a life worth living. The conversational shift from Smith talking to a therapist to talking with his child is a powerful yet subtle moment, as he explores how he, without trying, achieved perfection with the birth of his child, yet still couldn’t shake off his own personal doubt about his values, his art, and his worth.
’The Overload’ portrayed Yard Act as humble heroes of the working class. ‘Where’s My Utopia?’ acknowledges that they straddle a strange, privileged, human line; living a life that others would die for, but a life that leaves them feeling vapid and without meaning, selling the idea, the dream, the utopia to the masses. Yet, despite the humour and irony, it’s always sincere; Yard Act truly do believe in a better world, and just because they are musicians and not martyrs, it doesn’t make their contribution to the world any lesser.
Don’t let the thumping dance rhythms and electrifying energy of this album trick you; at its core, ‘Where’s My Utopia?’ is a powerful, painful exploration of what any of this even means. Is art worth pursuing in a world in which people go without food? Is it okay to yearn for more despite having love, money, and health? How much of ‘you’ is you?
Where is your utopia?
RATING: 86/100 – Mostly Excellent
For Fans Of: Wet Leg, Panic Shack, Gen and the Degenerates, Squid, Ditz
Physical copies of the album are available to purchase here. Multiple variants are available at independent stores.
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