Almost by accident, I've become rich. Through continued exploration, persistent curiosity and deep love for music it appears I've become rich.
Yard Act is the name, their currency - bangers. Driving, fun and quintessentially British bangers. What do I mean by this syntagm? So, as far as culturological discussions go, few are as heated as the old and tested British vs. American humor. Being a Slav, I naturally lean more into the British side of things and haphazardly ingesting their brand of writing and humor in my youth and teens certainly helped in creating this bias. So what's this thing I am talking about? Why am I asking so many rhetorical questions in this intro? Why are crows so damn cool and simultaneously terrifying?
I'll gladly tell ya. This abstract blob is a combination, as the best things often are, of cynicism, defiance, introspection, social commentary and critique all wrapped in a witty and quippy package. I feel this is the essence of British mentality which is why the island became such an influential voice in the arts.
And out of all the recent uprisers in post-punk that grasped with the absurdity of our existence and this strange era we're living in, none embodied this quality quite like Yard Act and their wonderful debut titled The Overload.
The Northern Englishmen waste no time as the title track quickly establishes itself with a driving groove and heaps of infectious energy, most of it being expelled by vocalist James Smith. His spoken word-like delivery immediately grabs your attention and manages to keep it during the record's whole running time. His approach, while at times reminiscent of greats such as David Byrne, is ultimately his own. There's no formula to be seen, it's just him laying it all down. I doubt I'll ever meet the man in the flesh (still hope I do) but just by listening to him, I've got a pretty good idea of what he is and what he represents. There's so much character in everything he does and the others mirror this quality. It's so refreshing and that's a tall claim considering my love for Shame, Squid, Horsey, Dry Cleaning and Viagra Boys who are just as charismatic. The big difference however, is how many forms Smith can take.
He is a narrator, that friendly and witty guy from the pub, an imp-like figure which takes pot shots at established (and silly) societal norms, a sarcastic and jaded bloke tired of all the bullshit, scheming rich wanker or... a magician. And all of this without any vitriol! Sure there's frustration and even anger but he never yells, rather he keeps a relatively straight tone with occasional "lazy" harmonies. This could've been a detriment but because of the variety of perspectives and infinitely fun, clever and humorous observations, the approach never get old nor predictable. Your mileage will vary though. For my two cents this is stellar stuff but as I said, Smith is not the sole piece of Yard Act's puzzle. Sam Shjipstone, Ryan Needham and Jay Russell all play their parts and do so very well.
Take the dancey "Payday" for example. As one of the catchiest tracks on the album, it boasts a memorable chorus but a surprisingly gritty bass tone and funky guitar scratches assist it. Out of all the comparisons Yard Act received, I feel the Talking Heads one is the only one that makes sense and this song in particular evokes that vibe. Personally don't see The Fall similarities barring the uniqueness of vocal delivery but where Mark E. Smith snarled and seemingly rambled, James mostly remains calm and quips.
Instrumentally speaking, I did get reminded of Gang Of Four a few times, predominantly due to the crunchy bass tone which, like in Yard Act's case, often times takes the stage and leads the pack. As a whole though, if you're looking for intricate musicianship, you've come to the wrong place. Not that this is lazy or dull, far from it but the band's focus is creating straightforward, driving and easily digestible slappers. They need to be otherwise the more complex lyrical contents would not come across as clearly. There are some really cool details though and most are additional instruments like the synths and piano on "Pour Another" and all the extra percussions across other tracks which include cow bells and it rocks.
Production-wise, The Overload sounds crisp and balanced with each role being represented correctly so when we get something extra, like those synths in "Quarantine The Sticks" or electronic tinges in "Tall Poppies", you'll notice them immediately and appreciate their position in the mix.
So with this much praise, is there anything The Overload lacks? Well, as much as I liked the approach, instrumentally and especially vocally, there's not that much variety but as I stated, that's not necessarily bad, it's just something to be aware of. The songwriting chops are present as well but there are some songs that simply aren't as engaging, "The Incident" and aforementioned "Quarantine Sticks" lack memorability when compared to stronger tracks like the opener or "Land Of The Blind". A catchy hook, particularly tasty lick or just a big gnarly chorus would fit like a glove but these are all things that can be addressed on their follow-up.
After all this is a debut and a very good one and like Horsey's Debonair which caught me off guard last year, this has that "lightning in a bottle" energy and even with its faults, it has so much personality and swagger that you can't help but jump back in which I expect some of you will do.
The future for British music is bright but then again, that was always the case, you just need to look hard enough. Ironically, with the intro and this conclusion, I confirmed what Smith conveyed in lyrical stand out "Dead Horse":
The last bastion of hope
This once great nation has left is its humour
So be it, through continued mockery
This crackpot country half full of cunts
Will finally have the last laugh
When dragged underwater
By the weight of the tumour It formed when it fell for the fear mongering
Of the national front's new hairdo
And even more bleakly:
This once great nation had left was good music
But we didn't nurture it, instead choosing to ignore it
Yes, we've been trapped by the same crowd that don't like it
Unless they've heard it before
Leaving me stuck flogging my progressive dead horse
I will say that I believe the future seems brighter, at least for the second paragraph and it's up to acts like Yard Act to keep it real and nurture the amazing new wave of great bands which came to prominence lately, bands Yard Act quickly became a part of. Welcome lads, do enjoy your stay, I know I will.
The Overload was released through Island Records on January 21st of 2022.
For more visit their: