Following some very promising singles and EPs over the last couple years, UK band Yard Act have announced their debut album, The Overload, which will be out January 7, 2022 via Island and their own Zen F.C. imprint.

"Lyrically, I think it’s a record about the things that we all do – we're all so wired into the system of day to day that we don't really stop and think about the constructs that define us,” says frontman James Smith whose, sprechgesang vocal style and witty, conversational lyrics are central to Yard Act's sound. “Beyond that, it's kind of exciting, because there’s still so much we don’t understand; how a hive mindset is forged, how information spreads, how we agree and presume things without thinking. Some people think more than others, but a lot of this sloganeering – ‘I'm on the left, I'm not wrong’ – doesn't achieve anything. I find it all so boring. I'm just not into that.”

The band have shared The Overload's title track, which marries angular guitars, a danceable, manic beat, Smith's frantic musings and a very catchy chorus. “We all succumb to fear most of the time, and it explains a lot about why we make the decisions we do," says Smith of the song. "I imagine the chorus delivered by a Greek chorus; omnipresent, and encompassing the themes of not only this song, but the whole album. That’s what The Overload is essentially. It’s everything happening at once, and it’s our tiny, feeble minds trying to process and cope with it. Good luck.” You can watch the video below.

Having just played this past weekend's End of the Road fest in the UK, Yard Act will be on tour in the UK and Europe this fall, including more festivals like Pitchfork Paris, as well as 2022 dates that run from February through May. The band have their eyes on North America, too, so stay tuned for those shows to be announced. All dates are listed below.

The Overload tracklist
1. The Overload
2. Dead Horse
3. Payday
4. Rich
5. The Incident
6. Witness (Can I Get A?)
7. Land Of The Blind
8. Quarantine The Sticks
9. Tall Poppies
10. Pour Another
11. 100% Endurance

Yard Act – 2021/2022 Tour Dates
18 Sep | Wide Eyed Festival, Leicester
22 Sep | Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg
23 Sep | The Workman’s Club, Dublin
24 Sep| Reeperbahn Festival, Hamburg
25 Sep | Dot To Dot Festival, Bristol
26 Sep | Dot To Dot Festival, Nottingham – SOLD OUT
27 Sep | Portland Arms, Cambridge
28 Sep | The Bullingdon, Oxford
29 Sep | Esquires, Bedford
30 Sep | The Lexington, London – SOLD OUT
1 Oct | Sound City Festival, Ipswich
2 Oct | By:larm Festival, Oslo
16 Oct | New In Town, Margate
22 Oct | A Slow Education, York – SOLD OUT
30 Oct | Dark Arts, Leeds – SOLD OUT
6 Nov | Mutations Festival, Brighton
13 Nov | Great Western Festival, Glasgow
21 Nov | Pitchfork Festival, Paris
2 Feb | L’Aéronef, Lille
3 Feb | Trix, Borgorhaut
4 Feb | Paradiso Kleine Zaal, Amsterdam
5 Feb | Molotow, Hamburg
6 Feb | Stengade, Copenhagen
7 Feb | Plan B, Malmö
9 Feb | Badehaus, Berlin
10 Feb | Blue Shell, Cologne
11 Feb | Rotondes, Luxembourg
12 Feb | La Boule Noire, Paris
17 Feb | Village Underground, London – SOLD OUT
18 Feb | Patterns, Brighton
19 Feb | The Joiners, Southampton – SOLD OUT
21 Feb | Exchange, Bristol– SOLD OUT
22 Feb | Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
23 Feb | Bodega Social, Nottingham – SOLD OUT
24 Feb | The White Hotel, Salford – SOLD OUT
25 Feb | The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge – SOLD OUT
26 Feb | Brudenell Social Club, Leeds – SOLD OUT
1 Mar | The Cluny, Newcastle
2 Mar | The Caves, Edinburgh
3 Mar | Mono, Glasgow
5 Apr | Earth, London
11 May | Trinity, Bristol
18 May | Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
19 May | Zanzibar, Liverpool
20 May | Irish Centre, Leeds
21 May | Band on the Wall, Manchester
22 May | The Foundry, Sheffield
27 May | Arts Centre, Norwich