• News

• All

Jan 25, 2019 By Stephen Axeman Yak

British psych trio Yak have shared a new track “This House Has No Living Room” and we are pleased to premiere it via its NSFW video. The track is the finale on their forthcoming new album, Pursuit of Momentary Happiness, out February 8 via Jack White’s Third Man Records. “Inside this house/The walls are paper thin,” frontman Oli Burslem croons over top of a gently churning rotary organ and some mechanized percussion before the song opens into a symphony full of horns and samples of bird songs. The track features Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman) of Spiritualized (formerly of Spacemen 3), pulling double duty on slide guitar and guest vocals towards the end, as well as John Coxon of Spiritualized and Spring Heel Jack. The video is comprised of footage from the recently discovered 8mm archives of cult erotic photographer John Kayser and features a heavy focus on feet. Check out the video and the band’s upcoming tour dates below.

Burslem had this to say about the recording of the track: “This is the last song we recorded at RAK and it’s definitely my favorite. It sums the whole record up. I guess it’s inspired by mortality and memories of loved ones past and present. It also features my good friend John Coxon on piano and harmonica without whom I doubt the band would be where we are today. If it’s the last piece of music I ever make I’ll be happy.”

Back in October Yak shared the video for Pursuit of Momentary Happiness’ “Bellyache,” which made it onto our Songs of the Week list. In December, when the album was announced, they also shared the song “Fried.”

Pursuit of Momentary Happiness is the follow-up to the band’s 2016-released debut album, Alas Salvation. The new album was originally going to be recorded at the Perth, Australia studio of Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, but it didn’t work out. The band’s original bassist, Andy Jones, also left the band for a new life in Australia. Burslem returned to England with no money, no album, and no place to live.

He was already friends with Coxon, who introduced him to Pierce. The Spiritualized leader encouraged Burlsem and drummer Elliot Rawson to solider on and soon they had a new bassist in Vinny Davies and were recording the album at London’s RAK studios with producer Marta Salogni (Björk, Django Django). In 10 days they recorded 29 songs, 11 of which made the album. Then Burslem put the finishing touches on the album with the help of Pierce at his home studio.

In a previous press release, Burslem had this to say about recording the album: “I don’t want it to be a boo-hoo story. It was fun doing it. It’s nice to push yourself to the limit, and I can say now that I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks, because it’s a document of that time, and it’s honest and open, and I couldn’t have done or given much more.”

Read our 2016 interview with Yak.

Yak Tour Dates:

2/18 - La Maroquinerie - Paris, FR
2/19 - Le 106 - Rouen, FR
2/20 - Le Coopérative De Mai - Clermont-Ferrand, FR
2/22 - L’Autre Canal - Nancy, FR
3/29 - The Castle & Falcon - Birmingham, UK
3/30 - Norwich Arts Centre - Norwich, UK
4/1 - Clwb lfor Bach - Cardiff, UK
4/2 - O2 Academy Oxford - Oxford, UK
4/3 - The Dome Camden - London, UK
4/5 - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, UK
4/6 - The Bodega Nottingham - Nottingham, UK
4/8 - Arts Club - Liverpool, UK
4/9 - YES - Manchester, UK
4/11 - The Cluny - Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
4/12 - King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut - Glasgow, IE
4/13 - Whelan’s - Dublin, IE

Support Under the Radar on Patreon.