Choosing to neuter their disco-themed power trip on first single Dream Job, the Yard Act crew return to tee up Where’s My Utopia? with the dejected feel of Petroleum. Good for the soul, indeed. Having had petroleum poured on a much-loved cord jacket just a few months ago, intimacy with the flammable material makes for an emotional turn from Yard Act. Their music video may channel the George Michael era of slick leather and slicker perms, but the slight echo on those opening drums, the out-of-step and sinister bass, display anything but the foot-tapping styles of the Faith singer. In fact, Petroleum is a real turn of pace from Yard Act – a hellishly deep and fixated piece set to light the soul on fire.
Deeper octaves and a slower pace, the thump and grind found in the deeper cuts of their debut record, The Overload, are found on this style-changing piece. Petroleum then has purpose. It is here to show Yard Act can, and will, change their style on the whim. Live recordings of this track showcase the change and hearing the studio version reflects even further – the desire for new works. It is a grower, that is for sure. Something slightly staggered comes through this one, a relentless number which is dead set on static interjections, slight electronic tuning at random interjections. As wild and unexpected as the fires which come from petrol, Yard Act does not set the place ablaze with this one but makes a sincere effort to change their style.
Where’s My Utopia? seems more and more about this change of pace. Had they recorded their first record this way, in this electronic motion which dominates and strives for implosive impressions toward the end of the track, then what a different trajectory Yard Act would be on. No place for whataboutisms though, Yard Act’s latest song is a step to the left of Dream Job. Their desire to toy with their style on record two is a bold move – and though it does not quite get there on Petroleum, the repetition of the track overtaking any real instrumental flair – there is a sincere and genuine effort. Sleeping souls provide the backdrop to a gasoline-filled experience. Sharp lyrics from James Smith are the real feature here – though subdued by the monotone and spoken word interpretation. Take the wind out of those sails, intentionally so, after the dance-oriented Dream Job.
Comparisons of the two will be easier when the album proper releases, the link between them currently obscured but understandable. Of course the bones burn when life amounts to nothing more than bets, beers and bringing yourself to the edge in a job burning you out. Maybe then Petroleum comes to life – a shift in a direction away from the wear and tear of the real world. Yard Act fancy themselves as the fiery antidote to a problem they face off on the daily – their first record did and so too shall their second. But the chasm between the styles featured on The Overload and these two new tracks is exceptional. When growth is near impossible yet expected for artists, Yard Act, for all the pushback and grind, are working wonders. Petroleum grows and grows like a bonfire – its lyrical qualities a stunning continuation of hard graft on earlier works.
