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Feb 14, 2024 By Mark Redfern

British post-punk band Yard Act are releasing a new album, Where’s My Utopia?, on March 1 via Republic. Last night they were the musical guests on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where they performed recent single “We Make Hits.” They have also announced some new fall North American tour dates. Check out the performance and tour dates below.

Where’s My Utopia? is Yard Act’s second album, the follow-up to their acclaimed Mercury Prize-nominated debut album, 2022’s The Overload.

Where’s My Utopia? includes “The Trench Coat Museum,” a new eight-minute song the band shared in July that landed at #1 on our Songs of the Week list. Then when the album was announced they shared its second single, “Dream Job,” also via a music video (and also one of our Songs of the Week). Then they shared its third single, “Petroleum,” via a music video that stars British-based Australian comedian/actress Rose Matafeo (creator/star of Max’s acclaimed Starstruck). The album’s fourth single, “We Make Hits,” was again shared via a music video and also made our Songs of the Week list.

Then Yard Act shared the album’s fifth single, “When the Laughter Stops,” via a music video. The song features Katy J Pearson and the video features actor David Thewlis (Naked, Wonder Woman, and various Harry Potter movies). He previously appeared in the Yard Act video for “100% Endurance,” from their first album. “When the Laughter Stops” was again one of our Songs of the Week.

Where’s My Utopia? is less post-punk and more finds the band embracing an upbeat dance-rock vibe.

“The main reason that ‘post-punk’ was the vehicle for album one was because it was really affordable to do, but we always liked so much other music and this time we’ve had the confidence to embrace it,” Smith explains in a press release.

The press release lists Fela Kuti, Ennio Moricone, and Spiller’s 2000-released single “Groovejet” as influences on the new album. Remi Kabaka Jr. of Gorillaz co-produced the album with Yard Act. The band also features bassist Ryan Needham, guitarist Sam Shjipstone, and drummer Jay Russell.

For the new album, Smith says he has reached deeper inside himself for lyrical inspiration, relying less on the character studies that populated the songs on The Overload. “You can commit to the idea that we’re just animals who eat and fuck and then we die, and that’s fine,” he says. “But for me, creativity always seems to be the best way of articulating the absolute minefield of what human existence is.”

Read our print magazine interview with Yard Act on The Overload.

Read our rave 9/10 review of The Overload.

Yard Act Tour Dates:

Thu. Feb. 29 - Kingston, UK @ Pryzm [SOLD OUT]
Fri. Mar. 1 - Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
Sun. Mar. 3 - London, UK @ Rough Trade East
Tue. Mar. 5 - Nottingham, UK @ Nottingham, UK
Wed. Mar. 13 - Norwich, UK @ The Nick Rayns LCR (UEA)
Thu. Mar. 14 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
Fri. Mar. 15 - Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy
Sat. Mar. 16 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
Sun. Mar. 17 - Newcastle, UK @ Northumbria University
Tue. Mar. 19 - Belfast, UK @ Mandela Hall
Wed. Mar. 20 - Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
Fri. Mar. 22 - Liverpool, UK @ Invisible Wind Factory
Sat. Mar. 23 - Bristol, UK @ O2 Academy
Sun. Mar. 24 - Cardiff, UK @ The Great Hall
Mon. Mar. 25 - Brighton, UK @ The Dome
Wed. Mar. 27 - London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
Thu. Apr. 4 - Nantes, FR @ Stereolux
Fri. Apr. 5 - Paris, FR @ Cabaret Sauvage
Sat. Apr. 6 - Bordeaux, FR @ Rock School Barbey
Mon. Apr. 8 - Lisbon, PT @ LAV
Tue. Apr. 9 - Madrid, ES @ Mon
Thu. Apr. 11 - Barcelona, ES @ La 2
Fri. Apr. 12 - Lyon, FR @ Le Transbordeur
Sat. Apr. 13 - Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv Club
Sun. Apr. 14 - Milan, IT @ Santeria Toscana 31
Tue. Apr. 16 - Zurich, CH @ Mascotte
Wed. Apr. 17 - Munich, DE @ Muffathalle
Thu. Apr. 18 - Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg
Fri. Apr. 19 - Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen
Sat. Apr. 20 - Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyrkan
Wed. Apr. 24 - Hamburg, DE @ Uebel & Gefährlich
Thu. Apr. 25 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Main Hall
Fri. Apr. 26 - Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
Sat. Apr. 27 - Cologne, DE @ Kantine
Sun. Apr. 28 - Brussels, BE @ Les Nuits Botanique
Thu. May 30 - Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
Fri. May 31 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater
Sat. Jun. 1 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet’s
Mon. Jun. 3 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Atrium
Tue. Jun. 4 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Thu. Jun. 6 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Fri. Jun. 7 - Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
Sat. Jun. 8 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Sat. Aug. 3 - Leeds, UK @ Millenium Square
Sat. Aug. 10 - Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival
Mon. Aug. 12 - Budapest, HU @ Sziget Festival
Fri. Aug. 23 - Southsea, UK @ Victorious Festival
Sat. Aug. 31 - Lisbon, PT @ Meo Kalorama
Wed. Oct. 2 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Thu. Oct. 3 - Cudahy, WI @ X-Ray Arcade
Fri. Oct. 4 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
Sat. Oct. 5 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
Mon. Oct. 7 - Toronto, ON @ Axis Club
Tue. Oct. 8 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
Thu. Oct. 10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Fri. Oct. 11 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Sat. Oct. 12 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Tue. Oct. 15 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Wed. Oct. 16 - Asheville, NC @ Eulogy
Thu. Oct. 17 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Sat. Oct. 19 - Mexico City, MX @ Foro Puebla

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