Yard Act have today announced their new album Where My Utopia? alongside its lead single & video ‘Dream Job’.
Out on 1 March 2024 via Island, Where’s My Utopia? is the follow up to the Leeds band’s critically-acclaimed debut record The Overload which arrived in January 2022. The Overload was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize after a slew of positive reviews, national radio play listings and a placing at #2 in the Official Charts. The new album is a co-production between Yard Act and Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr. ‘Dream Job’s video was directed by James Slater, the band and director’s 7th collaboration (“with many more to come”).
Having already announced a huge run of shows in the UK and EU for spring 2024 – including the Eventim Apollo Hammersmith on 27 March – Yard Act have today revealed plans for their biggest hometown show to date at the 5,750 capacity Millennium Square Leeds on 3 August. For access to tickets, pre-order the album HERE. General sale for Millenium Square is on 10 November.
Speaking about ‘Dream Job’, Yard Act’s James Smith said: “‘Dream Job’ feels like an apt introduction to the themes explored on Where’s My Utopia? – though not all encompassing. In part I was scrutinising and mocking myself for being a moaning ungrateful little brat, whilst also trying to address how the music industry is this rather uncontrollable beast that hurtles forward unthinkingly and every single person involved in it plays their part. Myself included, obviously. As with pretty much everything else going through my head last year, trying to find the right time to articulate the complexity of emotions I was feeling and the severity to which I was feeling them couldn’t be found – or accommodated, so instead I tried to capture it in a pop song that lasts less than three minutes once the fog had cleared a bit. It’s good and bad. I’m still glad that everything that happened to me happened.”
Yard Act opened the main stage at Reading & Leeds Festival this summer as well as making appearances at Latitude (headlining the BBC Sounds stage, no less), Fuji Rocks, and Boardmasters. The band will return to North America in November with a run of headline shows across the US, culminating in a slot at Mexico City’s Corona Capital Festival. The Leeds band also shared a standalone single ‘The Trench Coat Museum’ this summer. Co-produced by the band and Kabaka Jr., ‘The Trench Coat Museum’ was instantly added to the BBC Radio 6 Music A-List upon release and sparked feverish discussion about the band’s next exciting chapter, which begins today.
Earlier this year, Yard Act delivered an unprecedented five night residency at their hometown’s Brudenell Social Club which was awarded four stars each in reviews from Rolling Stone UK, The Telegraph, and The Times. The band were joined by a stellar lineup of comedians; Phill Jupitus, Nish Kumar, Lolly Adefope, and Harry Hill. Yard Act also made their festival headline bow at Dot To Dot in Bristol & Nottingham, performed at Primavera (Barcelona, Madrid & Porto) and played their maiden shows in Australia and New Zealand, truly making their mark on the global stage in 2023.
See Yard Act live in the UK:
13 Mar | The Nick Rayns LCR (UEA), Norwich, UK
14 Mar | Rock City, Nottingham , UK
15 Mar | O2 Academy, Glasgow, UK
16 Mar | O2 Apollo, Manchester, UK
17 Mar | Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK
19 Mar | Mandela Hall, Belfast, UK
20 Mar | Vicar Street, Dublin, IE
22 Mar | Invisible Wind Factory, Liverpool, UK
23 Mar | O2 Academy, Bristol, UK
25 Mar | The Dome, Brighton, UK
27 Mar | Eventim Apollo, London, UK