25. March 2025
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Media Review

Yard Act – The Overload

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Yard Act - The Overload

Yard Act - The Overload
4.2

Rating

 4.2/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Signature sound
  • Very talented band

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Album lacks a wider range of tracks

Even though Yard Act are just about to release their debut album, they already have fast selling out shows in their home country United Kingdom. The initial album release is named The Overload and has been released on 21st January 2022. Here are my thoughts.

 

Yard Act – About The Artists

Yard Act are doing post-punk. The quartet has been founded in Leeds. James Smith is the lead singer and writes the majority of the lyrics. His band mates are Ryan Needham (bass), Sam Shipstone (guitar) and Jay Russell (drums). They already released a debut EP, Dark Days, in January 2021, before they did two changes in their lineup.

 

Yard Act – The Overload – Track by Track

The eleven song album lasts 37 minutes.

1. The Overload

The overlead of discontent
The constant burden of making
It won’t relent, it won’t repent
How To remain in dissonance

The song comes with a mixture of quickly spoken word and a catching, melodic chorus. No doubt, the song comes with lyrics which stay in your mind and a very signature vibe. Interesting beginning of Yard Act’s debut.

2. Dead Horse

I have to admit that it took me a while to get into the sound of tracks like Dead Horse. The spoken word, sometimes almost hip-hop-alike sounding vocals coming with social-critical, typically punk-themed topics one of the two key elements of this song. On the other side, there is the cool groove, majorly caused by cool work on the bass and the drums. Even though I would not say that’s my favorite style of music. But they just do good. So I have to love them for it.

3. Payday

Take the money and run – Yard Act are almost angrily shouting these words during the chorus. The verses are beautifully working towards that climax of the song. On point, grippy lyrics like There are staving children in Africa, so go send your toy guns to Bosnia. Great song.

4. Rich

Capitalism and the distribution of wealth is one of the key topics of the album. Rich is obviously dealing with that one as well. Rhythmic song. Very limited song, which is just enough to give the song a good rhythm and vibe to deliver its message with a minimum level of disturbing noise.

5. The Incident

At The Incident, Yard Act don’t leave their post-punk style, but the song is the first one on the album, which is having a significant melodic involvement and participation.

6. Witness

The Witness feels like a cool indie-rocker. However, the song is somewhere between a real song and a damn cool interlude – Yard Act on the Witness stand just lasts for some 80 seconds. More like a statement in the “We could do this style masterful as well – but we don’t do on this album”.

7. Land Of The Blind

The vocals in the chorus (Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bah) feel like a backing choir – but in fact they form the melody line of Land Of The Blind. A cool

8. Quarantine The Sticks

Quarantine The Sticks again has a nice groove and an interesting chorus – but I cannot relate to the eighth song of the album as much as I can do to other tunes on the album. Well-written, but noch as present as other songs on the album to me – also as the song is relatively short.

9. Tall Poppies

Tall Poppies is one of the highlights of the album. There is a bit of a country and blues vibe in the song. Epic work, the whole story takes more than six minutes.

10. Pour Another

The final songs of The Overload comes with some interesting songs. Pour Another is another track on my favorites list. Very nice, present works on the melodic side, including nice guitar riffs and synth sounds. Energetic.

11. 100% Endurance

The closing song comes with a touch of indie-rock and good melodies – I really enjoy this last third of the songs on the album.

 

Yard Act – The Overload – Spotify

Here is The Overload on Spotify:

 

Yard Act – The Overload – My View

If you would just give me a few snippets of the album, I would likely not listen on to it. It is absolutely not my favorite style of music. But when I received the promo, I indeed listened to the album multiple times and enjoyed it. The quality is just too good. I rather like the more melodic songs, but the English boys overall give a great eleven track statement of a high level of talent here. Not yet perfect, but on the expressway to perfection maybe.

 

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