Yard Act are the new up and coming, minimalist rock band from Leeds. Their new track ‘Dark Days’, explores a dystopian Yorkshire set 100 years in the future. ‘Dark Days’ is said to be the final single to be released before the Leeds quartet debut album which will be released later in the year. All four singles previously released by the band - ‘The Trappers Pelts; Fixer Upper; Peanuts’ and ‘Dark Days’ will not be featured on the album. James Smith, the bands frontman, said ‘It’s a world building song, this one, everything we’ve put out so far is from the same universe, which is based on an imagined Yorkshire 100 years in the future.’
‘Dark Days’ envisions a post-apocalyptic Yorkshire with Smith encapsulating the bleak future with poetic, half spoken vocals, similar to those of Mark E. Smith. The simple bass line contrasts with the powerful drums and the intense picture that the lyrics paint. Smith said about the track, “The demo Ryan sent was ace, real sparse. The drums were really driven but the bassline felt like it was suspended mid air in the verses, like a dub bassline or something. It created the illusion that you have time to stop and look around amidst the ensuing chaos. It’s like in war films when all the noise stops and you just hear the protagonist’s heavy breathing whilst they survey their surroundings in slow motion. Then the chorus hit with this ‘Captain Caveman’ vibe, it reminded me of that stop-motion cartoon from the 90’s GOGS if anyone remembers that? I liked the juxtaposition of the bleak world with the cartoon bass line.”
The Leeds post-punk band have that northern charm, making a track about car trunks “full of stolen phones, knock-off cologne, and mink carcasses” and “police officers getting their truncheons pulled on in the bushes”, that will have your foot subconsciously tapping in time to the beat. Smith revealed he struggled to finish the final piece of the bands four-part musical story during the pandemic. Whilst watching ‘Children of Men’ – a Sci-Fi film based in 2027 - Smith said, “if I’d fully remembered what happened in it, I don’t think I would’ve in the middle of a pandemic, but I did, and I actually came away feeling really uplifted by the ending. I saw hope in it, and it helped me finish the story.”
Smith is also writing a book, called ‘Carboot Man’ that is set to be released next year. “I’m writing a book titled ‘Carboot Man’ which weaves the narratives of those first four songs together and explores the characters from them in greater detail: The Trapper, Graeme and Grace (the woman from Peanuts).”
Yard Act, who were featured in ‘The NME 100 2021’, plan to do two socially distanced shows in their hometown, Leeds, providing that COVID-19 restrictions allow. They also plan to perform in London in June, again if permitted to do so.
Yard Act 2021 Gigs:
28/02/2021 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (matinee)
28/02 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (evening)
02/06 – The Lexington, London
