Yes return with their 24th studio album, “Aurora”, on June 12th.
“Making this record was joyful, a chance to play, explore and give everything to the music,” stalwart guitarist Steve Howe said in an official statement. “We’re not trying to echo the past; we’re carrying the spirit of Yes forward and turning it into something new.” The main eight-song cycle will be bolstered by two bonus tunes. video for Yes’ advance single title song, created by Matt Hutchings of Greg Lake, Oasis and Iron Maiden fame.
Howe was joined on these sessions by keyboardist Geoff Downes and bassist Billy Sherwood, who both had earlier Yes stints in the band through then ’80s and ’90s. Frontman Jon Davison and drummer Jay Schellen complete the line-up.
The title track was one of the first songs Yes worked on as sessions began, not long after the conclusion of 2024’s Classic Tales of Yes Tour. They’d only just begun sketching out ideas but everything began to quickly coalesce around “Aurora.”
“The title immediately resonated with Steve Howe,” Davison said, “and sparked visual inspiration for artist Roger Dean, setting a conceptual tone that would guide the project.”
They worked both together and apart to complete “Aurora”, with producer Howe and Downes as the “central creative axis,” according to a news release. “It’s always been about collaboration,” Howe said. “Somebody can write a song, but until everybody puts their contribution in it isn’t really a Yes song.”
This will be the third album in five years for a suddenly resurgent Yes, following two U.K. Top 40 hits with 2021’s “The Quest” and 2023’s “Mirror to the Sky“. The group had only issued a pair of new studio projects over the previous two decades.
A special expanded version of “From a Page“, featuring additional material from 2011’s “Fly From Here”, is set for a release on April 24th. Yes was planning to kick off another tour around the same time, but pushed those dates back to May when Howe had to undergo an unexplained medical procedure.
“Aurora” will be released in digital, special-edition CD digipak and gatefold 2LP 180g vinyl editions. The limited-edition 2LP/2CD/Blu-ray package features light green vinyl discs. Instrumental versions of the songs are on the bonus compact disc; the Blu-Ray includes Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround sound & 24-bit stereo mixes.
The Fat Angel Sings 