photo: James Brown

Yard Act announce debut album 'The Overload,' share title track

September 7, 2021

photo: James Brown

Following some very promising singles and EPs over the last couple years, UK band Yard Act have announced their debut album, The Overload, which will be out January 7, 2022 via Island and their own Zen F.C. imprint.

“Lyrically, I think it’s a record about the things that we all do – we’re all so wired into the system of day to day that we don’t really stop and think about the constructs that define us,” says frontman James Smith whose, sprechgesang vocal style and witty, conversational lyrics are central to Yard Act’s sound. “Beyond that, it’s kind of exciting, because there’s still so much we don’t understand; how a hive mindset is forged, how information spreads, how we agree and presume things without thinking. Some people think more than others, but a lot of this sloganeering – ‘I’m on the left, I’m not wrong’ – doesn’t achieve anything. I find it all so boring. I’m just not into that.”

The band have shared The Overload‘s title track, which marries angular guitars, a danceable, manic beat, Smith’s frantic musings and a very catchy chorus. “We all succumb to fear most of the time, and it explains a lot about why we make the decisions we do,” says Smith of the song. “I imagine the chorus delivered by a Greek chorus; omnipresent, and encompassing the themes of not only this song, but the whole album. That’s what The Overload is essentially. It’s everything happening at once, and it’s our tiny, feeble minds trying to process and cope with it. Good luck.” You can watch the video below.

Having just played this past weekend’s End of the Road fest in the UK, Yard Act will be on tour in the UK and Europe this fall, including more festivals like Pitchfork Paris, as well as 2022 dates that run from February through May. The band have their eyes on North America, too, so stay tuned for those shows to be announced. All dates are listed below.

The Overload tracklist
1. The Overload
2. Dead Horse
3. Payday
4. Rich
5. The Incident
6. Witness (Can I Get A?)
7. Land Of The Blind
8. Quarantine The Sticks
9. Tall Poppies
10. Pour Another
11. 100% Endurance