Formed in 2019 by singer James Smith and bassist Ryan Needham, the duo worked out a distinctly spartan indie rock aesthetic before adding guitarist Sam Shjipstone and drummer Jay Russell to the lineup. They had just begun gigging when the 2020 pandemic shut down live operations. Focusing instead on studio work, Yard Act set up their own label, Zen F.C., and began releasing singles, starting with the eccentric Bill Ryder-Jones-produced "Trapper's Pelts." Along with songs like "Fixer Upper" and "Peanuts," it later appeared on their 2021 EP Dark Days.
After signing with Island, Yard Act began the promotional buildup to their debut album, making their U.K. television debut on Later… With Jools Holland and notching plenty of airplay with singles like "The Overload" and "Payday." Their first album, The Overload, was released in January 2022. It went as high as number two on the U.K. album chart and was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. That July, Yard Act issued a reworked version of "100% Endurance" featuring none other than Elton John, accompanied by a liberally updated cover of John's "Tiny Dancer."
When the band returned to the studio with songs written while on tour, it was with Gorillaz drummer/producer Remi Kabaka, Jr. co-producing. The first product of these sessions was the standalone single "The Trench Coat Museum," which appeared in mid-2023. While their debut album had relied more on character sketches, Yard Act delved heavily into personal experience, including their rise in fame, for the follow-up, March 2024's Where's My Utopia? Also a more ambitious, stylistically freeform album, its expansive patchwork of influences included Fela Kuti, Ennio Morricone, and 2000s dance-pop as well as their familiar post-punk, socio-political content, and spoken word commentary. ~ Timothy Monger & Marcy Donelson
