Albums of the Year 2024 - Number 10

I wasn't a fan of Yard Act at first - something just didn't make sense. Something was up with them. It might be because the singer looks exactly like someone that annoys me. Anyway, when we got Where's My Utopia in, I thought I'd give them another go and lo and behold I was hooked! This album cooks. It's all there - the beats, the breaks, the samples, the riffs, and the tunes. Check it. - Chris, Rough Trade West | Albums of the Year So Far 2024

The return of Yard Act. Where’s My Utopia? is the follow-up to the Leeds band’s critically-acclaimed debut record The Overload which arrived in January 2022. Written in snapshots of time between a relentless touring schedule, and produced jointly by the band and Gorillaz’ Remi Kabaka Jr, the quartet’s second act is a giant leap forward into broad and playful sonic waters.

Across the record, influences ranging from Fela Kuti to Ennio Moricone via Spiller’s ‘00s pop smash ‘Groovejet’ make themselves known. It’s a celebratory palette upon which Smith allowed himself to reach lyrically deeper into himself than ever. Gone, largely, are the outward-facing character studies of yore, replaced with a set of songs that stare fully into the headlights of life, wrangling with the frontman’s own fears and foibles to create a sort of Promethean narrative - but with jokes.