Yard Act

• The Overload [Island, 2022] A-
• Where's My Utopia? [Island, 2024] A-

Consumer Guide Reviews:

The Overload [Island, 2022]
They namecheck Sham 69 on their debut, a credible analogy but too tuneless even by their less than lilting standards. So instead recall circa-2005 (and still active!) Art Brut--lyrics declaimed more than sung over even barer-boned, lower-affect, four-four rock songs in which a local star gets rich enough in a village-turned-town where his football skills have never been surpassed, lettuce is cultivated in ghetto potholes, the one-eyed man was king till he lost his mind, and history is so obdurate that the club owner still won't let bands play originals. A-

Where's My Utopia? [Island, 2024]
Designated post-punk for want of a more specific slot, this all-male U.K. s-g-b-d hail from Leeds, which in crucial respects says plenty about who they are or appear to be. True, there's no punky thrash or funky thwong to their four-four. But both their collective IQ and their acerbic politics are worthy of not only the Mekons and the Gang of Four, as is their unbowed "How about one last crack at it before we quit the biz?" There's an added attraction as well, namely that most of their songs are situated where they belong--in the day-to-day dilemmas and disappointments they outline. "Welcome to the future/The paranoia suits you," they beckon. "Are we born for nothing if we die alone?" they want to know. "If I leave here before you you'll see our baby through," they aver, and let's both assume and hope that they mean it. A-