We loved Yard Act's debut album The Overload, and now the Leeds post-punk band is back with a new single. "Dream Job" expands on their post-punk sound with a heavy and somewhat unexpected dose of funk. It sounds a little bit sunnier than what we've become accustomed to from them. "Dream Job" is an odd mixture of Cake, Britpop keys, and some 80's futuristic effects along with Yard Act's traditional song. It sounds like they're throwing everything they can at this one, and somehow it works out perfectly. This new single is a ton of fun, and has us very curious what they'll be up to next.
Vocalist James Smith says of the new single:
“In part, I was scrutinizing and mocking myself for being a moaning ungrateful little brat, whilst also trying to address how the music industry is this rather uncontrollable beast that hurtles forward unthinkingly and every single person involved in it plays their part. Myself included, obviously. As with pretty much everything else going through my head last year, trying to find the right time to articulate the complexity of emotions I was feeling and the severity to which I was feeling them couldn't be found - or accommodated, so instead I tried to capture it in a pop song that lasts less than three minutes once the fog had cleared a bit. It’s good and bad. I'm still glad that everything that happened to me happened.”
You can watch the video for "Dream Job" below. Where's My Utopia? is due out March 1 on Republic Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Yard Act, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Thu. Nov. 2 - Reykjavik, IS @ Iceland Airwaves Sat. Nov. 4 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw Sun. Nov. 5 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts Mon. Nov. 6 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar Tue. Nov. 7 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall Thu. Nov. 9 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East Fri. Nov. 10 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl Sat. Nov. 11 - New Orleans, LA @ Toulouse Theatre Tue. Nov. 14 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk Wed. Nov. 15 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Company Fri. Nov. 17 - Mexico City, MX @ Corona Capital Festival Sat. Dec. 2 - Bangkok, TH @ Maho Rasop Festival Sun. Dec. 3 - Hong Kong, HK @ Clockenflap Festival Tue. Dec. 5 - Osaka, JP @ Shangri-la Thu. Dec. 7 - Tokyo, JP @ Club Quattro 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 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 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
Somehow Peter Prescott of Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns has another band that I never knew about. Minibeast already released an album that I completely missed back in 2012, and they are currently at work on the follow up, Free Will. Based on a track from the upcoming album, "High Sea," Minibeast shares some common sonic ground with Mission of Burma, but with an added emphasis on the groovy side of things. It's basically the noise and dissonance of Burma but heard through a 60s surf groove, as if Frankie and Annette were punks. You can listen to "High Sea" below. Minibeast currently have a Kickstarter to help fund the final production of Free Will. You can get more information on that here . It should be out sometime in June.
Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it. “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
Photo by Cecil Sykes Midnight Peg are an Edmonton, AB based band that are referred to as "madhouse punk." Their latest single, "Thirstland," is a just barely under control two minute burst of punk. You have guitar riffs that will make you think of At the Drive In, and somewhat spoken and yelled vocals which create a feeling of chaos throughout. This is a loud and angry track that is completely in your face. But, unlike most tracks this loud and punk based, "Thirstland" still keeps a sense of art in their music. Midnight Peg feel like a higher class of loud, angry punk rock. This one is great, with just enough of an emo undercurrent to make the song kind of melodic and almost palatable to a mainstream audience. You can listen to "Thirstland" below. Skinning is due out in October on Thousand Island Records. For more on Midnight Peg, check out the artist's website .
