YARD ACT RELEASE NEW SINGLE, “PETROLEUM,” TODAY FROM "WHERE’S MY UTOPIA?" OUT MARCH 1ST 2024

 YARD ACT RELEASE NEW SINGLE, “PETROLEUM,”
FROM WHERE’S MY UTOPIA?, OUT MARCH 1ST 2024 ON REPUBLIC
 
WATCH THE VIDEO STARRING ROSE MATAFEO


Photo Credit: Phoebe Fox
 
“Where’s My Utopia? suggest that the British rock group is ready to burst forward with new ideas.”
— Billboard
 
“The jaunty, funk-pop production only makes [Yard Act's] commentary seem all the more biting.”
— Pitchfork
 
“‘Dream Job' embodies the millennial ennui of realizing that even your most ideal work scenario is still work at the end of the day." — Consequence

 
Today, Yard Act present their new single, “Petroleum,” another taste of their forthcoming second album, Where’s My Utopia?, out March 1st on Republic. The accompanying “Petroleum” video is a continuation of the prior James Slater-directed videos for “Dream Job” and “The Trench Coat Museum,” and stars friend of the band, comedian and creator of Starstruck, Rose Matafeo.
 
“Petroleum” lives on the second half of Where’s My Utopia?, which simultaneously contains some of Yard Act’s most grimly real and fantastically optimistic narratives yet. It was written after a touring nadir. “I lost it with the crowd in Bognor Regis and told them I was bored and I didn’t want to be there,” Yard Act’s frontman James Smith recalls. “Me and Ryan [Needham] had a row after, and Ryan rightly dressed me down for the way I acted. It got me pondering the idea that, now this is a job, what are the requirements of it? People think they want honesty but they don’t, they want me to portray the version of honesty that they've paid to see and that’s part of the illusion.”
 
Speaking about the ‘Petroleum’ video, Smith says: “‘Petroleum’ finds The Visitor as she stumbles into the hideout of a fearsome Biker gang called The Utopians. She's still on the run from the H.G.E agents. It was a lot of fun shooting this video, and a joy to watch our friend Rose Matafeo bring the leader of The Utopians to life. Though the story isn't being told in a linear format, I hope that the journey of The Visitor through the last three videos is starting to come together and reveal that we're working on something bigger here. More to come!”
 
Rose Matafeo added: “I screen most of my phone calls, but when the phone flashes up 'JAMES YARD ACT' you're gonna pick that up straight away. To feature in a Yard Act video has been on my bucket list ever since I added it to my bucket list after they asked me so I could have the satisfaction of crossing it off my bucket list. The overall vision for this album is so creatively ambitious and fun and cool and I'm so stoked to even be a little part of it. Sorry for my bad accent. Not sorry for the line dancing.”
 
Watch Yard Act’s “Petroleum” Video
 
Where’s My Utopia? follows Yard Act’s Mercury Prize shortlisted debut The Overload,  “a debut album bursting with character” (Uncut), and was co-produced by Yard Act and Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr. Written in snapshots of time in the midst of touring, the album is a giant leap forward into broad and playful new sonic waters, sprinkled with strings, choirs, and voice-acting clips courtesy of comedian pals Nish Kumar, Rose Matafeo, and more. Where’s My Utopia? is a communal four-way effort built on chemistry, familiarity and the trust to challenge and push each other creatively. “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,” James explains.
 
It’s a celebratory palette upon which Smith allowed himself to reach lyrically deeper into himself than ever. Gone, largely, are the outward-facing character studies of yore, replaced with a set of songs that stare fully into the headlights of life, wrangling with the frontman’s own fears and foibles to create a sort of Promethean narrative - but with jokes. This dueling sense of responsibility and ambition, guilt, love, drive and everything in between forms the narrative backbone of Where’s My Utopia?, Yard Act’s brilliantly exploratory second album. “You can commit to the idea that we’re just animals who eat and fuck and then we die, and that’s fine,” Smith suggests. “But for me, creativity always seems to be the best way of articulating the absolute minefield of what human existence is.”
 
Next year, Yard Act will embark on a tour of North American, Europe and the UK, including a hometown headline show at the 5,750 capacity Millennium Square Leeds. A full list of tour dates is below, and tickets are on sale now.
 

Pre-order Where’s My Utopia?
 
Watch “Dream Job” Video
 
Watch“The Trench Coat Museum” Video

 
Yard Act Tour Dates
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
 
Praise for Yard Act’s “Dream Job” and “The Trench Coat Museum”
“There’s a specific zaniness to its eight-minute single ‘The Trench Coat Museum’ that makes it sound like a long-lost alternative-rock radio novelty hit from the late 1990s, albeit with a killer groove and an extended outro that beckons to the dance floor” - New York Times
 
"'The Trench Coat Museum' is a quantum leap for the Leeds combo, an eight-minute extravaganza that manages to be sly and euphoric all at once" - Stereogum
 
"'Dream Job' is less post-punk and more finds the band embracing an upbeat dance-rock vibe."
— Under the Radar
 
“[‘Dream Job’ is] a dashingly catchy and plentifully rapturous dance track that takes cues from LCD Soundsystem without losing their own ridiculously intoxicating charm” — Paste
 
"'Dream Job' is nihilistic and wry...reminiscent of the prominent indie acts of the late ‘90s." — Exclaim
 
“Super catchy cut…with some great grooves, great bass lines, vibrant and fun lyrics, can’t wait for this band’s next full length, that’s for sure.” — The Needle Drop
 
"'The Trenchcoat Museum' finds Yard Act adding more electronic elements to their post-punk inspired sound, and with its fun percussion, the song's an instant grabber." - Brooklyn Vegan
 
“With crescendoing disco-funk grooves and a punk-rock snarl, this young quartet from Leeds, England, is the must-see newcomer of the season for record-store clerks and indie-rock musicheads.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune
 
“Yard Act is a band you must see in person [...]  it’s impossible not to love it when you see Yard Act perform live.” — Luckbox
 

 
Yard Act Online:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Chuck Strangers announces new album + shares title track and new music video

CHUCK STRANGERS ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM SHARES ALBUM TITLE TRACK & NEW VIDEO A FORSAKEN LOVER'S PLEA DUE MARCH 15TH VIA LEX RECORDS

Chuck Strangers by Jack McKain "A Forsaken Lover's Plea" WATCH: chuckstrangers.lnk.to/AFLP-VIDEO LISTEN: chuckstrangers.lnk.to/AForsakenLoversPlea A Forsaken Lover's Plea PRE-SAVE/ORDER: chuckstrangers.lnk.to/AForsakenLoversPlea (November 30, 2023) - Brooklyn-born and LA-based MC and producer, Chuck Strangers announces his new album album A Forsaken Lover's Plea today, out March 15th via Lex Records. As the first offering of this next creative phase for Chuck, he is also providing the first taste of the full-length project with its title track and an accompanying visual directed by Jackie Radinsky. Produced by Graymatter, "A Forsaken Lover's Plea" sees Chuck take the form of a lovesick romantic, broken-hearted by the end of a recent relationship. Throughout the song, Chuck reflects on how much of himself he had invested in that relationship though elements of his pride stopped him from transforming into society's version of an idealized romantic partner noting "...too G to take a knee, still I gave you all of me." A Forsaken Lover's Plea is primarily produced by Chuck himself, outside of assists from friends like The Alchemist, Animoss and more, as well as familiar guests like Joey Bada$$, Erick The Architect (of Flatbush Zombies) and Remy Banks. The album's title serves as a metaphor for Chuck's own relationship to being a hip-hop artist and making music, equating his passion for music to a tragic love affair. A Forsaken Lover's Plea expands on the career-spanning self-reflection that Chuck framed his project from earlier this year The Boys & Girls EP around, where he was falling in love with making music again. His new album captures a wider spectrum of his experience as an artist, chronicling the joys and the pitfalls of life as a musician. Coinciding with the album's announcement today, Chuck is also launching the pre-order for physical editions of his new album HERE. Chuck's progression into the spotlight as a fully-fledged artist, rather than just an architect behind the boards, has been a calculated and organic journey that began with 2018's Consumers Park. Having taken lessons learned from his years at the center of the Pro Era braintrust and developing them into subsequent projects like his 2020 EP Too Afraid To Dance and his project from earlier this year The Boys & Girls EP, Chuck has shaped himself into a standalone voice in hip-hop. A Forsaken Lover's Plea punctuates that step forward with a personal statement that demonstrates the full breadth of his talent as a rapper, beatmaker, and executive producer, piecing together an album from start to finish that's a reflection of his personal renaissance as an artist falling back into love with rap music. Listen to "A Forsaken Lover's Plea" above and stay tuned for more from the artist coming soon.

album artwork Chuck Strangers A Forsaken Lover's Plea Lex Records March 15th, 2024 1. Richard Pryor 2. Dead Vines 3. Close Calls 4. Sermonette 5. Ski'd Up 6. Too Afraid to Dance feat. Remy Banks 7. A Forsaken Lover's Plea 8. Sunset Park 9. Polish Jazz feat. Joey Bada$$ 10. Feelings 11. Crusaders 12. To All the Girls 13. Home 14. Ali's Roti Shop 15. Grasp feat. Obii Say 16. Some Flatbush... feat, Erick the Architect 17. Count on My Love

Declan Mckenna Shares New Track, “Elevator Hum”

DECLAN MCKENNA SHARES NEW TRACK, “ELEVATOR HUM”   LISTEN HERE & WATCH THE LYRIC VIDEO HERE   THIRD STUDIO ALBUM WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BEACH? OUT FEBRUARY 9th   Credit: Henry Pearce Hi-Res Photos Here: https://qprime.com/artist/declan-mckenna/

Today, Declan McKenna shares the next track from his forthcoming album, What Happened To The Beach? (February 9th via Tomplicated Records) which Pitchfork highlighted a notable new music release in 2024. McKenna shares about the new song, “Elevator Hum was a tune that came in the latter stages of my first trip to LA working on the album with Luca. He threw the chords down and the riff fell into my hands. It’s a song that felt like it captured some nostalgic essence of friendship as we built a relationship through creating music together. The freedom and playfulness of the lyrics, and the gentle but fun glide of the track, take me back to being a kid in a way.” Listen to “Elevator Hum” here and watch the lyric video here.   “Elevator Hum” channels the LA sunshine under which the new album was recorded and is built on a loose groove and a laidback, almost calypso rhythm which underpins the track. The song is colourful and confident and follows the leftfield pop of Sympathy and restless euphoria of Nothing Works that reintroduced him earlier this year. It was produced by Gianluca Buccellati. What Happened To The Beach? is available to preorder on all formats here. Following extensive US touring throughout the year, playing to over 60,000 fans, Declan recently announced his UK/Ireland tour for the Spring, with additional dates since added in both Dublin and Glasgow. Tickets for all McKenna dates are available here.   For What Happened To The Beach? McKenna landed in California last year to work with producer Gianluca Buccellati, whose previous projects include Arlo Parks and Lana Del Rey. On his third studio album, McKenna taught and trusted himself to take his time and let the listener soak in the ambience. The result is an album that revels in both space and atmosphere. “The songs sound a lot like the music I listen to,” McKenna says about the new tunes, citing St Vincent (“She takes the guitar to a really cool place. Everything can be manipulated”) and Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s hypnotic and spacey energy as influences. Musically, you feel the freedom in the sound of a songwriter enjoying himself. “I wanted to open up and not worry about things so much,” McKenna says, “I was putting a lot of pressure on myself in the past when I just needed to drop the intensity a bit and have some fun.” McKenna is in his early 20s and is approaching a new era in his journey as a songwriter. He is aware that writing a more personal album, particularly one that focuses on joy over disaster, might suggest a line drawn in the sand between Declan and Declan 2.0. “If every song features a lyrical statement then it loses some of its impact, too. I haven’t let go of that aspect of myself but I don’t want to live out that style forever.” McKenna has always been a smart, literate songwriter. With What Happened To The Beach? he’s still all those things – he’s just down for a good time.   Declan McKenna: What Happened To The Beach? Track listing Mystery Planet Pt. 1 WOBBLE Elevator Hum I Write The News Sympathy Mulholland's Dinner and Wine Breath Of Light Mystery Planet Pt. 2 Nothing Works It Takes 4 The Phantom Buzz (Kick In) Honest Test Mezzanine It's an Act 4 More Years Mystery Planet Pt. 3 Declan McKenna Live:   23rd March – Great Hall, Cardiff University 24th March – UEA, Norwich 25th March – O2 City Hall, Newcastle 27th March – O2 Academy, Glasgow 28 March - O2 Academy, Glasgow *NEW DATE* 29th March – O2 Academy, Sheffield 1st April – Ulster Hall, Belfast 2nd April – 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin 3rd April - 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin *NEW DATE* 5th April – O2 Apollo, Manchester 8th April – De Montfort Hall, Leicester 9th April – Beacon, Bristol 10th April – The Halls, Wolverhampton 12th April – Alexandra Palace, London 13th April – Brighton Centre, Brighton 14th April – O2 Academy, Bournemouth 16th April – Ancienne Belgique, Brussels 17th April – Paradiso, Amsterdam 18th April – Tivoliredenburg Ronda, Utrecht 21st April – Kantine, Cologne 22nd April – Uebel & Gefährlich, Hamburg 23rd April – Astra, Berlin 25th April – Stodola, Warsaw 26th April – Kwadrat, Krakow 27th April – SaSaZu, Prague 29th April – Le Transbordeur, Lyon 30th April – Rock School Barbey, Bordeaux 2nd May – Le MeM, Rennes 3rd May – La Cigale, Paris 25th May – Live At Leeds, In The Park 12th July – TRNSMT Festival, Glasgow

Sun Room releases their devil-may-care new EP 'At Least I Tried'

SUN ROOM RELEASES THEIR DEVIL-MAY-CARE NEW EP AT LEAST I TRIED – STREAM WRAPPED UP HEADLINE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR IN LA LAST NIGHT & HEADED TO AUSTRALIA NEXT – SEE ALL TOUR DATES HERE

Press photo by Kaden Morris [Download]

“There’s something instantly transportive about music from Sun Room…It makes you want to twist and shout on a beach, but also makes you want to head bang a little.” “Perfectly unpolished aesthetic... It’s vibrant, rowdy and a hell lot of fun.”

“Take a trip back to the swinging ‘60s with south California’s Sun Room: a band so unashamedly indebted to the garage rock’n’roll of decades past…”

Today, ringleaders and havoc seekers of SoCal’s surf-rock scene, Sun Room, unleash their new EP At Least I Tried. Barreling in at just over 10 minutes, the four tracks are fast, loud, and lyrically unphased. This EP represents the band letting listeners have an unaltered view of their garage jams and unruly show antics. The majority of At Least I Tried was produced by one of Sun Room’s biggest influences growing up in the California DIY scene, Zac Carper of FIDLAR – Stream. Kicking off with “At Least I Tried,” a track described by frontman Luke Asgian as “finding fun in the chaos of life and being in a touring band,” Sun Room makes it known that they expect for nothing to go right, but you laugh at it and roll on. He also shares that the next song “Cut My Hair” is “about a summer fling that ends when Fall rolls around, the same time I usually cut my hair.” Again, expressing that sometimes things don’t go as planned, but you power through. “Kicking Rocks” is the EP’s most laid back, beachy tune, allowing the listener to come up for a breath. But that brief respite quickly subsides to EP closer “Stuck In The Heat.” A metaphorical mic drop sealing the band’s year of explosive growth and unabashed antics, this is a song that you hear and immediately know it has to be Sun Room.  Asgian shares, “It feels like we’ve spent such a large portion of our lives on tour the past couple years, which we’re so stoked on, but it also makes you appreciate Southern California that much more. Whenever we’re on the road, I think we get such a sense of nostalgia for the culture down here and the sound of all the bands from the beach towns we grew up in. Spending so much time driving through farms in the Midwest on tour will really make you want to write something profoundly Californian.”   He continues, “Of course, we have other influences, but the garage rock scene that we all grew up on down here is so ingrained in us and I think that really shows on this EP, which we’re really proud of. The process of writing it was all during a summer at home in between surfs, in the garage. Even if we’re playing arenas one day, we’ll always jam in a garage. It would be really hard to write a Sun Room song in some multi-million dollar studio or rehearsal space.”

“At Least I Tried” EP artwork [Download]

Leading up to the EP, Sun Room released the singles “At Least I Tried,” along with an official video, and “Cut My Hair.” Praise has been rolling in from everywhere including Consequence, Paste, and even Iggy Pop on BBC 6. The singles also received playlisting from All New Rock and New Noise on Spotify, New in Rock and Breaking Rock on Apple Music, and Fresh Alternative and Breakthrough Indie on Amazon Music. AT LEAST I TRIED TRACK LIST “At Least I Tried” “Cut My Hair” “Kicking Rocks” “Stuck In The Heat” Wrapping up last night with a massive show at LA’s Fonda Theatre, Sun Room adds another rowdy North American tour to the books. Redirecting their trail of chaos for the clear other side of the globe, the band is headed to Australia next for their first ever headline tour of the country plus a series of festival performances. See all tour information here and below.

Download tour admat here UPCOMING TOUR DATES 2023 November 30 – Flagstaff, AZ – Prochnow Auditorium December 26 – Perth, AUS – Out & About Festival December 28 – Sunshine Coast, AUS – Sol Bar December 29 – Byron Bay, AUS – The Northern December 30 – Gold Coast, AUS – Best Night Ever Festival 2024 January 1 – Brisbane, AUS – Spaced Out Festival January 2 – Coffs Harbour, AUS – Coffs Hotel January 4 – Port Macquarie, AUS – Finnians Hotel January 5 – Newcastle, AUS – King Street Bandroom January 6 – Avalon Beach, AUS – Avalon RSL January 7 – Wollongong, AUS – La La La’s January 9 – Sydney, AUS – The Lansdowne January 11 – San Remo, AUS – Westernport Hotel January 12 – Melbourne, AUS – Stay Gold January 13 – Mornington, AUS – Coastal Jam Festival January 14 – Geelong, AUS – Barwon Club January 19 – Adelaide, AUS – Jive All tour information here