Yes Announces New Album “Mirror to the Sky”
Written by Logan Phillips on March 10, 2023
Yes, the prog-rock supergroup from the 70’s, will be releasing their 23rd studio album, “Mirror to the Sky,” on May 16, 2023.
“This is a very important album for the band,” guitarist Steve Howe stated in a press release. “We kept the continuity in the approach we established on [2021’s] The Quest, but we haven’t repeated ourselves. That was the main thing. As Yes did in the ’70s from one album to another, we’re growing and moving forward. In later years, Yes often got going but then didn’t do the next thing. This album is demonstrative of us growing and building again.”
Yes began work on Mirror in the Sky almost immediately after recording The Quest. “We were still very much in that creative zone,” Howe explained. “There was a lot of material floating around because the band hadn’t done anything in the studio for so long, ideas were just copious.” added bassist Billy Sherwood , who replaced bassist Chris Squire after his passing in 2015.
Unfortunately, the band took a another hard hit because shortly after the band released The Quest, Yes drummer Alan White died in May 2022. White was the longest-serving member of the band. “He gave so many of his best years to the band and was a true believer and determined professional [un]til the very end,” Howe said in a statement. “Being a kind and loving human being just came naturally to him, with his mellow, non-confrontational personality and abundant generosity, which made him so popular with his friends and everyone he met.”
Yes performed a tribute concert called Alan White- Celebrating His Life and Music in Seattle last fall before embarking on a 50th-anniversary tour of Close to the Edge.
In February, the band named drummer Jay Schellen, who had toured with Yes in the past, as a permanent member. “I grew up playing along to Yes records, and I am proud to have worked so closely with my musical hero and great friend Alan White these past few years,” Schellen said. “I will strive to honor his memory as we drive towards the future with the band.” (The current lineup of Yes includes Howe, Schellen, Geoff Downes, Billy Sherwood, and Jon Davison.)
Mirror in the Sky will drop on May 16, 2023, featuring six songs, plus three bonus tracks. There’s also a deluxe box set that includes a Blu-ray audio set.
You can hear the album’s first song, “Cut From the Stars,” here
Yes ‘Mirror to the Sky’ Track Listing
1. “Cut From the Stars”
2. “All Connected”
3. “Luminosity”
4. “Living Out Their Dream”
5. “Mirror to the Sky”
6. “Circles of Time”
Bonus Tracks
7. “Unknown Place”
8. “One Second Is Enough”
9. “Magic Potion”
