L.Y.R. have officially announced their third studio album, Dark Sky Reservation, set for release on 3rd April via Real World Records. What began a decade ago as a creative correspondence experiment between UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, producer Patrick J. Pearson, and singer-songwriter Richard Walters has blossomed into a “genre-splicing supergroup” that stands as one of the most inventive fixtures in the British musical landscape.
To mark the announcement, the trio shared their new single, “Blah! Blah! Blah!” The track is a minimalist, hypnotic piece that builds toward a frantic climax, exploring the “choice blindness” of a modern world saturated with constant, synthetic noise. It perfectly encapsulates the band’s career-long fascination with the paradox of contemporary life: a world overflowing with communication devices that ultimately foster a sense of profound disconnectedness.
The album title, Dark Sky Reservation, draws inspiration from environmental zones protected from light pollution. The record operates on the philosophy that the furthest points of light—the stars—can only be perceived in total darkness. Throughout the tracks, the band navigates a “storm-battered world,” touching on themes of climate change, rampant urbanism, and the “messed-up weather” of the human psyche. While Armitage’s lyrics observe the fragility of the human predicament, Pearson’s mesmerising compositions and Walters’ soaring, ethereal vocals consistently reach for melody and redemption.
Following a decade of work that has included orchestral odes and commissions for the BBC Proms, L.Y.R. will support the new release with their largest UK tour to date. Starting on 16th April in Cambridge, the tour will visit cities including Liverpool, Glasgow, and Leeds, before a landmark performance at London’s ICA on 6th May.
Dark Sky Reservation is available for preorder now, promising a rendezvous of music and language designed for the quiet spaces of the soul.
Pre-Order Dark Sky Reservation: https://lnk.to/RW270
L.Y.R UK Tour:
Thurs 16 April – CAMBRIDGE – Storey’s Field Centre
Fri 17 April – KENDAL – Arts Centre
Sat 18 April – LIVERPOOL – Tung Auditorium
Sun 19 April – BIRMINGHAM – Bradshaw Hall
Tues 21 April – NOTTINGHAM – Squire Performing Arts Centre
Weds 22 April – GLASGOW – Cottiers
Thurs 23 April – GATESHEAD – Glasshouse Sage 2
Fri 24 April – POCKLINGTON – Pocklington Arts Centre
Sat 25 April – HEBDEN BRIDGE – Trades Club
Mon 4 May – LEEDS – City Varieties
Tues 5 May – BRISTOL – The Lantern
Weds 6 May – LONDON – ICA
Thurs 7 May – BRIGHTON – Komedia
Fri 8 May – EXETER – Mount Dinham
Sat 9 May – FALMOUTH – Cornish Bank at KCM church