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Yak return with Bellyache, born from the flames of flux and desperation

UK-based noise rock/garage punk trio Yak return to headphones everywhere with their latest single Bellyache. 

The track was born in a time of flux and desperation. It was just after the release of their debut album Alas Salvation back in 2016 that the band almost fell apart.

Bellyache is the second single from Yak’s upcoming sophomore album, which has its release planned for early next year.

Original bassist Andy Jones had moved to Australia and was replaced by Vinne Davies. Frontman Oli Burslem went to Japan, before deciding to follow. It wasn’t too much later that Oli realised it was time to head back to the UK to keep working on music. By this point, he’d run out of money and was scraping by. He’d put literally everything into the band.

“I was living out the back of my £205 car, completely broke as I had put all the money we had from the label into the band. It really felt like the last piece of music we would ever make and that we had to put everything we had into it. That’s where the last lyric “if you’re going for broke just make sure you don’t choke” comes from.”

Bellyache is, as Oli describes, “angry and fuck you”. It boasts aggressive flutes, psychedelic wah-wah stomps and portentous brass arrangements. The song fuses jazz, psychedelia and hardcore rock and roll. The Spacemen 3-esque clip is a belligerent and assertive kaleidoscope of colour.

Bellyache was a collaborative production effort; Marta Salogni, who worked on Bjork’s Utopia and Jason Pierce, of Spiritualized and Spacemen 3 fame, both featured on the track, too.

Yak are preparing to release their new album early next year. While they have no plans to return to Australia just yet, we’re keeping a close eye on their movements.

Perhaps, with their local connections, we’ll be seeing them sooner rather than later.