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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Acerbic, immediate, playful and sharp, ‘The Overload’ is whip-smart but never pretentious with it.
100
Yard Act live up to the hype on their witty and inventive debut album.
100
‘The Overload’ lives up to its hype with flying colours. Brilliantly constructed to unfurl like some sordid soap opera of Brexit Britain, it brims with vignettes populated by instantly-recognisable caricatures of the now.
100
We hope the rest of 2022’s musical output is as good as this album.
90
It may be early to start taking notes on the Album Of The Year, but the smart money says The Overload will be there or thereabouts.
90
The more you listen to ‘The Overload’, the more you uncover, it’s a record of copious nooks and crannies ... it’s fucking brilliant – listen to it, love it and never let it go.
90
As full of humour and darkly clever lyrics as it is humility and hope, The Overload is an album of deeply relatable storytelling for the plight of the ordinary people.
90
At its heart, The Overload is a hugely impressive debut bubbling with sardonic wit, wisdom, anger, and compassion.
90
A grab-bag of urgent pub-funk grooves, underpinned by abrasive Burnel-esque bass growls, sardonic chants and hooky shards of guitar make for a debut album bursting with character.
81
In many ways, this is the underlying thesis of The Overload: There really isn’t any hope in our bleak future, but we can at least find joy in the moments of humanity, both good and bad, that define us in times of crisis.
80
The Overload is a very fine debut from a group that sound like they think they are smarter, funnier and fiercer than all of their peers, and just might prove to be.
80
Their satirical take on the world’s condition is uplifting, proving that even within the music’s familiarity, something truly original can be created.
80
Navigating the modern world and all its injustice with a snarling sense of sarcasm, Yard Act’s seething debut The Overload mixes raw instrumentation with eclectic post-punk breakdowns and… bongos?
80
The decade this outfit have spent in other bands pays off in a record that’s raucous and fun, incisive and – as it winds to a close – profoundly heartfelt, as vocalist James Smith apologises disgustedly for the sins of British foreign policy.
80
The Overload is genius in its simplicity and effectiveness.
80
Waspish portraits of the country’s worst people – from alpha male businessmen to middle-class foodies – are punchily delivered by this excitingly undeveloped Leeds quartet.
80
The Leeds band's debut is a wild ride through their Yorkshire upbringing, and the curly characters they picked up along the way.
80
Yard Act live up to the hype on their surprisingly versatile debut album.
80
Yard Act make their opening statement with aplomb on The Overload. An album as silly as it is eclectic, gleefully cheeky as it is fiercely intelligent.
80
An exhilarating record by a band not only thriving under pressure but already finding new ways to adapt to its force.
74
The Leeds band’s mouthy and acerbic take on Brexit-era post-punk has the humor, polish, and storytelling of classic Britpop.
70
On their debut full-length The Overload, they’ve managed to craft a distinct sound that’s refreshing enough that any comparison sounds a little farfetched but also recalls most eras of post-punk’s history at one point or another.
70
It may not connect with everyone, given there isn’t necessarily much by the way of singalong anthems, though that may be a strength. Given some of the songs that haven’t been out on the album, there’s been a development in songwriting that I hope will continue.
70
While Yard Act's music could use more variation and its commentary some sharpening, The Overload is a promising start for the group.
70
More passive than protesting, the band’s bleak observations of modern life come served up with a helping of irresistible groove.
68
The band’s debut LP The Overload is both moderately entertaining and maddeningly bloated, depending on the moment.
60
Lyric after lyric leaps out while listening to this debut - but they don’t always have the tunes to match.
I know I would get a lot of hate but hear me out
I am going to explain why I disliked this album and the critics are hyping bs like this
Predictable - The song structure are the same throughout the entire album, it gets boring very quickly
Lyrics - The songwriting is some of the worst I have ever heard, the spoken word just makes the album quality decreases, the lyrics are so boring its makes a chore to sit through
Vocals: I really disliked the vocals, the vocals are very annoying and ... read more
Edit: Okay Pour Another slaps tho
Guys I gave a post punk album less than a 70 oooooooh haha
So this is my first review for 2022 releases, and I decided to check this out because I love post punk. I think I can definitely see the complaints with this one though. I don’t think it’s bad, but kinda bland compared to most of the post punk stuff I’ve heard and it just ends up being aggressively okay. The instrumentation is okay and it overall just doesn’t take that extra ... read more
While post-punk isn't a genre that always prided itself on its complexity, the sheer amount of trailblazing bands releasing music in the genre in recent years has certainly made it feel like up-and-coming post-punk bands have an extra hurdle to overcome as expectations are higher than ever. I myself have in recent years brushed aside albums from bands like Shame and Viagra Boys as I didn't find they brought forward anything that made them unique and stand-out among contemporaries and while in a ... read more
Very solid
Sometimes the instrumentals on this album can become a little stale, but the constant rambling by the singer is just too entertaining. Often the lyrics are very moving, interesting, or hilarious - the politics are well articulated and the humor (and the voice of the singer) are very fucking British.
All in all, I enjoyed this a lot, especially the last three tracks, but there are some songs that left next to no impact on me. I am a sucker for this style of music but this could've ... read more
This is a weird listen. I think this band tries to recreate the success of acts like The Talking Heads and LCD Soundsystem and at high points of this project they achieve to do something that reminds me of these bands but at others I just got frustrated wanting more from the music. It's really formulaic: Music with varying degrees of groove starts playing, a british guy starts rambling sometimes making sense but coming over as pretentious most of the time and then a chorus starts singing. And ... read more
"The Overload" is an exceptional first offering from a band that exudes an air of superiority, as though they believe themselves to be more intelligent, amusing, and intense than any other group. With this release, they have the potential to demonstrate their claims and surpass their contemporaries
Contributions By
Alejandro González, Novell_sx, anztec, Baylen's Music Café 🌻☕️, jmw123456, Nona, bgod, gbar25, patton, OPENblindsBecome a Donor
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Track List
| 1 | The Overload 3:17 | 75 |
| 2 | Dead Horse 3:38 | 69 |
| 3 | Payday 2:54 | 65 |
| 4 | Rich 3:43 | 57 |
| 5 | The Incident 3:10 | 65 |
| 6 | Witness (Can I Get A?) 1:21 | 65 |
| 7 | Land Of The Blind 3:00 | 66 |
| 8 | Quarantine The Sticks 2:40 | 62 |
| 9 | Tall Poppies 6:21 | 68 |
| 10 | Pour Another 3:20 | 68 |
| 11 | 100% Endurance 3:45 | 71 |
Total Length: 37 minutes
Year End Lists
| #1 | / | Far Out Magazine |
| #2 | / | BBC Radio 6 Music |
| #3 | / | God Is In The TV |
| #3 | / | Record Collector |
| #3 | / | Rough Trade (UK) |
| #4 | / | RIOT |
| #5 | / | Upset |
| #6 | / | The Independent |
| #8 | / | Piccadilly Records |
| #9 | / | Dork |
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Added on: September 7, 2021