Lyr

The British trio LYR merges spoken word, poetry, and music into a brooding, ethereal strain of contemporary classical pop, a direction fully realized on their 2020 debut album Call in the Crash Team.

The project, whose full name is Land Yacht Regatta, first took shape when singer/songwriter Richard Walters approached U.K. Poet Laureate Simon Armitage in 2010 to explore a poetry-driven musical collaboration. Although that initial effort stalled, Armitage provided lyrics for Walters’ song “Redwoods,” which appeared on the 2012 album Regret Less. Several years later the concept resurfaced, now involving composer/producer Patrick James Pearson, whose prior work with Walters included the shoegaze-inspired Liu Bei. The pair sent Armitage a Dictaphone that sat unused for nearly three years, allowing him to record spoken-word segments that would eventually be woven into a musical setting.

After signing with Universal, LYR released the piano-led single “Never Good with Horses” at the start of 2020, an ethereal track that previewed the album’s tone. Two further singles followed, along with the COVID-19 response track “Lockdown (In Aid of Refuge),” recorded with Melt Yourself Down and actress Florence Pugh, before Call in the Crash Team arrived in mid-2020.