The Overload

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The Overload
Studio album by
Released21 January 2022
Recorded2021
Genre
Length37:09
LabelIsland
ProducerAli Chant
Yard Act chronology
Dark Days
(2021)
The Overload
(2022)
Where's My Utopia?
(2024)
Singles from The Overload
  1. "The Overload"
    Released: 7 September 2021[3]
  2. "Land of the Blind"
    Released: 28 October 2021[4]
  3. "Payday"
    Released: 23 November 2021[5]
  4. "Rich"
    Released: 7 January 2022[6][7]
  5. "Pour Another"
    Released: 21 January 2022[8]
  6. "100% Endurance"
    Released: 18 May 2022[9]

The Overload is the debut studio album by British rock band Yard Act. The album was released on 21 January 2022 through Island Records. The album was nominated for the 2022 Mercury Prize.[10]

Background and recording[edit]

The album was written and recorded in 2021.[11]

Release and promotion[edit]

Singles[edit]

Five singles were released on The Overload from late 2021 to early 2022. The self-titled track, "The Overload" was released on 7 September 2021.[3] The second single, "Land of the Blind", was released on 28 October 2021.[4] "Payday" was released on 23 November 2021.[5] The two 2022 singles were "Rich"[6] and "Pour Another".[8]

Music videos[edit]

Corresponding with the single, the music video for the track "The Overload" was released on the band's Vevo on 7 September 2021.[3] The video features the band performing at a Car Boot Sale. The video was directed by James Slater.[12] Slater also directed the music videos for their second and fourth singles, "Land of the Blind" and "Rich", respectively. In an interview with DIY, lead singer James Smith notes, "I had the idea for a music video in which a magician does tricks but everybody keeps applauding. I thought it was too on the nose to be a decent satire but I’ve been subtle in the past and nobody has picked up on it so this time I thought we would just be blunt. James [Slater] developed the idea and came up with the concept of the magician holding the cafe hostage via hypnosis."[13]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[15]
Metacritic85/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash9/10[16]
DIY[17]
Dork[18]
The Guardian[19]
The Irish Times[20]
musicOMH[21]
NME[22]
Pitchfork7.4/10[23]
The Telegraph[24]
Under the Radar[25]

The Overload received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. On review aggregator website, Metacritic, The Overload has an average rating of 85 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim" based on 17 critic reviews.[14] Additionally, on AnyDecentMusic? the album holds an 8.0 out of 10 rating.[15]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by James Smith, Ryan Needham, Sam Shipstone, and Jay Russell

The Overload track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Overload"3:17
2."Dead Horse"3:38
3."Payday"2:54
4."Rich"3:43
5."The Incident"3:10
6."Witness (Can I Get A?)"1:21
7."Land of the Blind"3:00
8."Quarantine the Sticks"2:40
9."Tall Poppies"6:21
10."Pour Another"3:20
11."100% Endurance"3:45
Total length:37:09

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for The Overload
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[26] 89
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[27] 148
Scottish Albums (OCC)[28] 1
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 2

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Walker, Gary (10 January 2022). "Yard Act – The Overload Review: An Inspired Debut Album". guitar.com. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  2. ^ Gregory, Celia (25 January 2022). "Record of the Week: Yard Act's 'The Overload'". WNXP. NPR. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Krol, Charlotte (7 September 2021). "Yard Act announce debut album 'The Overload' and share title track". NME. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b Brodsky, Rachel (28 October 2021). "Yard Act – "Land Of The Blind"". Stereogum. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b Skinner, Tom (23 November 2021). "Listen to Yard Act's new "anti-capitalist anthem" 'Payday'". NME. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  6. ^ a b Doria, Matt (7 January 2022). "Listen to Yard Act's tongue-in-cheek new single 'Rich'". NME. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  7. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (7 January 2022). "Yard Act share "Payday" successor "Rich"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Yard Act share new single 'Pour Another'". DIY. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  9. ^ Reilly, Nick (18 May 2022). "Yard Act enlist David Thewlis for '100% Endurance' music video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  10. ^ Singh, Surej (26 July 2022). "Mercury Prize 2022 shortlist revealed". NME. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Yard Act release debut album 'The Overload' — Mastered by Geoff Pesche". Abbey Road Studios. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  12. ^ "Yard Act 'The Overload' by James Slater". promonews.tv. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Yard Act Share New Number 'Land of the Blind'". DIY. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  14. ^ a b "The Overload by Yard Act Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  15. ^ a b "The Overload by Yard Act reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  16. ^ Walder, Megan (21 January 2022). "Yard Act - The Overload Reviews". Clash. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  17. ^ Cabré, Alex (21 January 2022). "Yard Act - The Overload Album Review". DIY. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  18. ^ Hawkes, Jake (19 January 2022). "Yard Act – The Overload". Dork. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  19. ^ Petridis, Alexis (20 January 2022). "Yard Act: The Overload review – witty post-punks confront post-Brexit Britain". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  20. ^ Sweeney, Eamon (21 January 2022). "Yard Act: The Overload – politico pop with a welcome sense of humour". The Irish Times. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  21. ^ Murphy, John (18 January 2022). "Yard Act – The Overload". musicOMH. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  22. ^ Smith, Thomas (19 January 2022). "Yard Act – 'The Overload' review: a wonderfully wacky debut". NME. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  23. ^ Gerber, Brady (21 January 2022). "Yard Act: The Overload Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  24. ^ McCormick, Neil (20 January 2022). "Yard Act: The Overload, review: A thrilling, razor-sharp debut". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  25. ^ Von Pip, Andy (21 January 2022). "Yard Act: The Overload review". Under the Radar. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  26. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 17 October 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1702. Australian Recording Industry Association. 17 October 2022. p. 6.
  27. ^ "Ultratop.be – Yard Act – The Overload" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  28. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 January 2022.

External links[edit]