EP Review :: Yard Arms - Sanctuary Lines

EP 

Yard Arms 

Sanctuary Lines 

June 26 2020 (self release)

7.5

Words: Paul Dawson

With the world in the middle of a truly miserable spell as a global pandemic has us all stuck at home, we all are searching for something to cure our internal boredom. But worry no more as that’s exactly what Bristol-based melancholic pop duo Yard Arms have done with the release of their third EP ‘Sanctuary Lines’.

The four-track Josh Gallop-produced record is described by frontman and lyricist Noah Villeneuve as "an exploration of combating nostalgia in the modern age." Providing a mix of casual Sunday afternoon chill and 80s fist-pumping anthems, it also serves to showcase Yard Arms' brilliant versatility throughout in a wide range of musical ability and vastly different storytelling techniques.

The shining example of this is on single cut ‘These Four Walls’. The stirring, emo-indie-esque track was initially meant to be about the longing for the 'honeymoon periods' in life and the idea of the grass always being greener, when recorded back in February before pandemic lockdown. However, by Villeneuve and Billy Golding's own admission, this then became more an ‘isolation anthem’ as the lyrics and story hits differently when lockdown kept us lodged within the four walls of home.

Opener 'Mantra' is a melodic foot-tapper makes for an impressive start with its sprightly rhythms, good mix of reserved vocals and steady beat. Elsewhere, the expressively vocalled 'Silicone Crowd' feels poignant and passionately delivered, while closer, the longest track on the EP, 'Fables', takes a more subdued step as it winds provicatively across four minutes of lyrics that require attention, and measured guitar, drums and bass work around its theme, raising themselves up in the last half to a glorious finale.

Overall, 'Sanctuary Lines’ is an EP released at a perfect time, as the themes discussed throughout the song are more relatable than ever. Although Yard Arms do have a notable sound, they are still etching their mark on the music scene. But if they continue producing music like this, their mark must be on course to be set solid.