Yard Act share new single ‘When the Laughter Stops’
Leeds post-punk poster-boys Yard Act have today shared ‘When the Laughter Stops’, the fourth and final single to be released from the upcoming album Where’s My Utopia?
Featuring the distinctive tones of Katy J Pearson, ‘When the Laughter Stops’ is a self-reflective track, evoking the danceability of the previously released non-album single ‘The Trenchcoat Museum’. The song was released alongside a music video created by long-time collaborator James Slater.
Revealing the process behind the creation of the track, frontman James Smith shared, “Whilst the lyrics came quick, musically it went through the wringer. As is often the case when Ryan presents a bass line, harmonically it’s pretty ambiguous and we all hear things differently. I was hearing the song in a pretty bluesy, minor key, whilst Sam [guitarist] heard a very saccharine and sweet major key tune.”
Since first bursting onto the scene in 2020 with ‘Fixer Upper’ and ‘The Trapper’s Pelts’, Yard Act have risen to the forefront of Britain’s post-punk revival. Their Mercury-nominated debut album The Overload managed to achieve a number two spot in the album charts at the beginning of 2022, and the band have since become a mainstay of festival lineups and exhaustive nationwide tours.
Where’s My Utopia? is due to see the band embrace a more disco and no wave-influenced sound while retaining the sardonic humour and witty lyricism that originally endeared the band to its legions of fans.
To accompany the release of their long-awaited sophomore album, Yard Act are set to perform live across the UK and EU in Spring, including their biggest homecoming show to date at Leeds’ Millennium Square.
Where’s My Utopia? is set to be released via Island on March 1st. Check out ‘When the Laughter Stops’ below:
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