by Alice Zakusilo (@GhostyShibe)
“Post-punk’s latest poster boys” ask Where’s My Utopia? on their newest album, a tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic, and groovy record. They create a very dynamic and lighthearted kind of sound, which shows how much they’ve grown since The Overlord. Listening to this album is immersive and feels transcendent, like entering a vivid dreamscape, where the boundaries of sound are truly pushed. It is sarcastic and sardonic, it's absolutely bursting with creativity and ambition, but most of all, it is undeniably Yard Act.
Stylistically, this album is dripping with smooth riffs, breezy guitars, and solid synth work. There's dark humor and sarcasm while discussing and explaining the difficult issues in life. This album is lavish, delving deep into its groove and funk. The bass lines are resonant, coupled with the looming darker vocals to create such a refined but rugged and relatable feel. They utilize a lot of sprechgesang, the combination of speaking and singing, which gives it an unconventional feel and a distinctive twist that works to make Yard Act so recognizable.
Where’s My Utopia? skillfully crafts an almost alien-like ethereal ambiance. It blurs the line between the familiar and the unknown, embracing the oddness and the strangeness of life. Yard Act illustrates the disconnect between the expectations growing up of what being an adult in the 2020s was supposed to be like and what it is now, tackling feelings of anxiety and not feeling good enough. All these struggles that people feel daily are expressed in such a relatable, everyman kind of way. It's odd, it's eccentric, it's something completely different. The synths especially make this album feel like out of this world, but perhaps from a neighboring galaxy.
The vocals are gritty, and the lyrics and storytelling are so extremely poignant. It's able to be lighthearted and fun while still being able to tackle harder topics like cycles of abuse on “Down By The Stream”. Where’s My Utopia? addresses these heavier topics in a way that's easily relatable, expressing the hardships of dealing with anxiety and insecurity through amazing storytelling combined with dark humor in a near-masterful way. This album presents the importance of being able to cope with the trials of life and heal from trauma. Utopia is that healing, Utopia is having that hope for the future, which in this day and age is vital. James Smith isn’t afraid to make himself vulnerable on this album, giving the listener a peek into his psyche and his own experiences. This vulnerability is seen especially on “Blackpool Illuminations” in which Smith gives the listener an intimate look into a therapist appointment in which he recalls his childhood, directly tackles what Utopia truly is.
“Dream Job,” first released as a single, is very high energy and bouncy. The synths give it that off-kilter, eccentric, odd sound that makes it so appealing when paired with an irresistible groove, smooth bass lines, and subdued vocals. This album steps into a poppier side of Yard Act, witnessed on the infectious chorus with its 80s reminiscent synths. The booming bass works to tie it all together, Yard Act's twist on something more pop. “Dream Job” is catchy on an entirely different level, a song likely to be stuck in your head for days as Smith sings “but, oh my god, its ace”.
Yard Act show the importance of individuality and truly being yourself, calling for everyone to “stay strange and be ace” on “Fizzy Fish”. Where’s My Utopia? welcomes people to embrace the oddness of life, to try and take it in stride, and discover their own Utopia. Yard Act continue to create transcendent music as it pushes the boundaries within the musical world.