Double LP, includes etched bonus disc with NPR Tiny Desk concert Formed from the ashes of previous cult bands, Leeds-based Yard Act are 2022’s anointed guitar act and deservedly so. The Overload – Yard Act’s debut – better resembles classics such as Blur’s Modern Life Is Rubbish, but as sung by the Fall’s Mark E Smith. Money and lack thereof are themes on The Overload, as are nuanced character studies of “tall poppies” and crooks, people who sue the council and those trying to get by without hypocrisy. Yard Act’s core tunefulness and the easy “ba-ba-ba”s on songs such as Land of the Blind go hand-in-hand with unexpected musical feints throughout, with sound effects, ad libs and unexpected guitar counter-melodies keeping listening ears on their toes. The decade this outfit have spent in other bands pays off in a record that’s raucous and fun, incisive and – as it winds to a close – profoundly heartfelt, as vocalist James Smith apologises disgustedly for the sins of British foreign policy. (Guardian) Vinyl, LP, 180 g Tracklist:A1 The Overload A2 Dead Horse A3 Payday A4 Rich A5 The Incident A6 Witness B1 Land Of The Blind B2 Quarantine The Sticks B3 Tall Poppies B4 Pour Another B5 100% Endurance
