Yard Act's Smith Reckons With Post-Fame 'Aftermath' — SkimNews
SkimNews Take
Framing a third album around the "aftermath" of sudden success signals Yard Act turning inward to process the industry machinery that elevated them, prioritizing self-reckoning over outward expansion.
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Yard Act released their third album "You're Gonna Need a Little Music," which frontman James Smith frames as "the aftermath" — the final chapter in a trilogy about aspiration, realization, and how "success doesn't really validate anything in your life."
- Smith recorded the album in Los Angeles with producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen, known for work with Nine Inch Nails and Wolf Alice; Smith called the trip "the icing on the cake" because it was the first time the band freed themselves from childcare and relationships.
- Bassist Ryan Needham said the LA isolation had practical benefits, noting that vocal takes are tough when "you've got to do the school run in 45 minutes" — a sharp contrast with the debut sessions when the band still held day jobs.
- Smith said Elton John — who remixed their Mercury-nominated "100% Endurance" — still wants to make a prog album together: "the prog album is still on the cards."
- Lead single "Redeemer" is what Smith calls "the biggest reset" after second LP "Where's My Utopia," declaring: "whenever [someone] thinks they've got me sussed, I like to do the opposite."
- The four-piece — completed by drummer Jay Russell and guitarist Sam Shipstone — survived a near-breakup when Smith berated a crowd during a 2022 Bognor Regis show, with Needham conceding the confrontation "could have broken lesser bands."
Why it matters: Smith frames the third album as an 'aftermath' record — recorded away from family obligations for the first time, an explicit act of separation Yard Act hadn't attempted before. That the band survived Smith's 2022 onstage blowup at Bognor, and that Elton John still wants a prog album with them, shows Yard Act spent their post-Mercury windfall on craft and cohesion rather than expansion.
Ask SkimNews
