Album Review: Yard Act, You’re Gonna Need A Little Music

The post-punk phenomenon of the last decade has produced no shortage of seminal acts, not least Fontaines D.C. and Idles.

But something about Yard Act has always made them especially visceral and compelling.

‘Empty Pledges’, the first song on the Leeds band’s third album, You’re Gonna Need A Little Music, shows just how raw and articulate they are. The song introduces an album that takes absolutely zero half-measures, demonstrating how James Smith’s voice and biting lyrics can cut straight through the band’s hard-edged instrumentals.

The album never relents. ‘Tall Tales’ is angular and groovy, with Smith brilliantly dissecting the historical myths that seek to define our ways of life and modern morals. Similarly groovy is The Fall-sounding titular track, which features a delicious piano riff that adds a weighty bounce to the dark story the song is trying to tell.

The songs are always honest and heartfelt, even at their most caustic. ‘Janey Said’ is one of the best examples of how songwriters can spill their vulnerability straight into the microphone; it’s a beautiful autofiction number about confronting self-doubt and trying to understand yourself via your connection with another person.

A cracker.

8/10