Albums to watch

You're Gonna Need A Little Music

Yard Act

You're Gonna Need A Little Music

Third full-length release from the Leeds post-punk trio

ADM rating[?]

7.8

Label
Island
UK Release date
17/07/2026
US Release date
17/07/2026
  1. 10.0 |   DIY

    A deliberate retreat from their role as commentators; here, their medium has become the music
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  2. 10.0 |   Dork

    Proves just how far Yard Act have come
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  3. 9.0 |   NME

    After building their own studio space to push back against making “laptop records”, the post-punk group’s unruly third LP is a thrilling distillation of what their previous two did best
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  4. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    The Leeds four-piece go gnarly-abrasive on an album where you're never sure what's round the corner. And they haven't forgotten how to write pop hooks
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  5. 9.0 |   Far Out

    Reaffirming their position at the top of the UK’s post-punk and alternative music landscape – albeit with a sonic approach entirely different to their previous two albums – Yard Act have struck upon a truly great album in You’re Gonna Need A Little Music
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  6. 8.0 |   Record Collector

    The results show in the record's textured details and fizzing chemistry, the sound of a band thrilled to be playing together. Print edition only

  7. 8.0 |   Northern Transmissions

    It’s not a tidy record, and it doesn’t try to be, but it’s Yard Act’s most confident and cohesive work yet. Chaotic by design, generous with its hooks, and unwilling to repeat itself just because the old formula worked
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  8. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Smith twists, bends and pleats sound and meaning of words until they start to give way
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  9. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    This is the sound of a band in maximum flight, not afraid to change direction, still with the open and fun storytelling but immersed in a darker soundscape
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  10. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    Yard Act prove themselves to be far more malleable than you might expect as they continue to push the sonic envelope, while grounding their songs in relatable kitchen sink wit
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  11. 8.0 |   Mojo

    If it’s a record that grapples à la Pulp’s This Is Hardcore with the downside of success, You’re Gonna Need A Little Music is further testament to Smith’s lending library smarts and the band’s Happy Mondays-via-Franz Ferdinand knack for indie-disco bangers
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  12. 8.0 |   All Music

    Produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Nine Inch Nails, Beck, St. Vincent), the resulting 11-song set is a louder, more irritated, more confrontational one
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  13. 8.0 |   Hot Press

    Leeds post-punk band hit their groove on third album
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  14. 7.9 |   Spectrum Culture

    Beset by a deep, transformative weariness, Yard Act’s latest is nevertheless an album bursting with personality, passion, verbose observations and energy
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  15. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    The snarky Leeds band once again thrive on contradictions on their third LP, sucking you in with sumptuous grooves and then spitting you out with their blistering anguish
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  16. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    The rising British band’s most musically adventurous album yet delivers rousing highs, even if a few songs struggle to keep pace
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  17. 6.2 |   Pitchfork

    The UK band smooths out its characteristically jagged post-punk for a vaguely uplifting album that brings to mind lots of older British rock groups
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  18. 6.0 |   Uncut

    At its peak, the album is great, their best work, but at its weaker spots it still sounds lost. Print edition only

  19. 5.0 |   Clash

    Sure, ‘Cherophobe Rock’ slaps, and ‘Thrill Of The Chase’ is a belter, and ‘Janey Said’ is Yard Act at its sarky, solipsistic best. But all too often here, the band loses sight of what makes them special. The Act is wearing thin
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