Yes has confirmed details of their upcoming studio album, Aurora, which will mark the band’s first release in three years.
The veteran progressive rock group last released an album in 2021, with The Quest. A planned anniversary tour of their hit album, Fragile, was postponed earlier this year. Dates for their UK shows will be rescheduled in the near future, the band’s management has stated. A new album will be on the way in the meantime, with Aurora set for release on June 12. Steve Howe confirmed details of the album, which will feature ten new songs from Yes.
Howe said: “Making this record was joyful, a chance to play, explore and give everything to the music. It’s always been about collaboration; somebody can write a song, but until everybody puts their contribution in it isn’t really a Yes song. We’re not trying to echo the past; we’re carrying the spirit of Yes forward and turning it into something new.”
A full tracklist can be found below.
- Aurora
- Turnaround Situation
- Love Lies Dreaming
- Countermovement
- Ariadne
- All Hands on Deck
- Outside the Box
- Emotional Intelligence
- Jambustin’ (Bonus Track)
- Watching the River Roll (Bonus Track)
A statement from the band’s press team reads: “When Yes first began sketching out ideas for what would become ‘Aurora’, the process was loose and exploratory. There was no preconceived concept at the start, just a collection of musical fragments that gradually began to find one another and take form.
“Among these early sketches was a piece titled Aurora, and it quickly became clear that the name carried certain gravity. It suggested light, emergence, and a sense of vastness, qualities that resonated deeply with the band. Jon Davison remembers how ‘the title immediately resonated with Steve Howe and sparked visual inspiration for artist Roger Dean, setting a conceptual tone that would guide the project.’
“Work on Aurora began almost as soon as the Classic Tales of Yes tour ended in 2024. The idea of a new album surfaced quickly and with the label’s encouragement, the band had the time to develop material organically. Rather than gathering in a single studio for months, they embraced a modern workflow; ideas were born in home studios, shaped independently, and then woven together through constant collaboration.
“Downes and Howe often acted as the central creative axis, with Howe, as producer, serving as the point through which all ideas eventually flowed. Across Aurora, each track carries its own character. Some echo the classic Yes approach, others push into new territory, but together they form a cohesive whole that honours the band’s heritage while embracing forward motion.
“With their 24th studio album, Yes demonstrate not just longevity, but a sustained curiosity, a desire to keep exploring, keep refining and keep discovering their capacity to create.”
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