SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: YARD ACT – WHERE’S MY UTOPIA?

YARD ACT
WHERE’S MY UTOPIA?
ISLAND RECORDS

Yard Act has released their second album, Where’s My Utopia?. This comes two years after their previous album, The Overload, and three years after their EP, Dark Days. Overall, this album mostly meets the high expectations set by their previous works, offering a predominantly hypnotic and alluring experience filled with little details. However, it occasionally suffers from dull and cringeworthy songwriting, and, worst of all, a less cohesive package.

In the opening track, “An Illusion”, it opens with an introduction to the band in a unique way before flowing into more of the song. One thing that is quite compelling about this song is how each line is so beautifully vocalised and flows so neatly, one after another, at a breathtaking speed, perfectly evoking a more relaxed yet unsettling feeling at the same time. For all you throw at this band, critically, one thing you can’t say is that they are not interesting, with the variety of daring choices on this track alone. This track exemplifies the best parts of the album, where the band’s commitment to their work and their unwavering focus are on full display. Even more, the production and vocals here are as strong as ever and even more intoxicating upon relistening.

Unfortunately, the next track is the worst song on the album and the only one that stands out so much for its quality, but not in a good way. “We Make Hits” is a generic and boring track that only gets worse for its horribly cringeworthy songwriting, which half the time makes you question which band you are even hearing. If that isn’t enough, add in the truly lacklustre production, and you have something that definitely isn’t a hit quality-wise. The only redeeming quality of this song is the way it serves as a stark contrast to the other tracks, which are all far better, and helps to point out why. While a track like “An Illusion” can be what makes this album so standout, “We Make Hits” is what makes it so weak. It combines the worst possible things that this album could do — poor production and a lot of cringeworthy, boring songwriting — and throws it all into one song.

Where’s My Utopia flows with an experimental and clever style that feels only ever half-done. The album attempts to make experimental choices, but it never feels like it commits overall. Even worse, the album as a whole seems disjointed, with fantastic or underdeveloped ideas thrown in here and there and muddled together into a collection of mostly enjoyable songs that don’t quite go together. Despite this, the album mostly produces passable music, demonstrating a high level of craftsmanship in certain tracks. As a whole, Where’s My Utopia barely stands as a decent cohesive work, but what keeps it together are the usually terrific tracks and experimentation, which are what glue it together and make it a worthwhile listen.

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