Yes have released their twenty-fourth studio album. It is remarkable to realize that this marks only the fifth time in an almost sixty-year history where two consecutive studio albums have been recorded with the exact same line-up.
The tangled history of this illustrious band suggests it is difficult to listen to any new material without realizing the classic seventies incarnation would not have come close to releasing an album like this. But this is Yes in 2026. They operate with a completely different mindset. They know their peak as supreme 1970s progressive rock overlords—an era when current vocalist Jon Davison was just being born—is well behind them in the rearview mirror. This is what the collective represents today, so it is a matter of getting onboard the bus or walking. As Steve Howe rightly notes, they are not echoing the past but are actively taking the music forward.
Steve Howe‘s determination and persistence as both guitarist and producer have paid off with this release. Everyone in the band has stepped up to the mark, resulting in Aurora cementing itself as arguably the finest Yes album since 2012’s Fly From Here. Geoff Downes is very up front with exceptional fills and atmospheric synth effects. Crucially, Jon Davison steps up to share keyboard duties, adding layers of piano and organ that enrich the overall sonic palette. Billy Sherwood on bass and Jay Schellen on drums prove to be inventive, worthy custodians of the legacy left by the sadly departed Chris Squire and Alan White. Jon Davison’s lead vocals remain consistently uplifting, while Steve Howe demonstrates his absolute guitar mastery on tracks like ‘Love Lies Dreaming‘ with some incredibly fine acoustic work.
Long-time listeners know Yes are at their adventurous best when they explore longer pieces, allowing themselves the space to test the full range of musical possibilities. The title track ‘Aurora‘ and the sweeping centerpiece ‘Countermovement‘ together run for over twenty minutes, giving the band ample room to showcase their talents. ‘Countermovement‘ is highly reminiscent of their classic period. It features extensive instrumental passages, though it intentionally lacks the hyper-virtuoso competitive playing that defined them in the seventies. In fact, the later Jon Anderson-led era of the band might well have recorded a piece like this. Meanwhile, the title track ‘Aurora‘ opens the album magnificently. It features cinematic, lush orchestral flourishes from the Czech National Symphony Orchestra that instantly frame the record as a major event.
The rest of the tracking shifts beautifully between commercial sensibilities and experimental risks. ‘Turnaround Situation‘ is a hook-laden track that comes across like Yes meets Asia, which is no surprise given that both Steve Howe and Geoff Downes were part of the original Asia line-up. The classical sounding ‘Ariadne‘, a gorgeous historical tale drawing on Greek mythology, is a welcome holdover from The Quest sessions that features superb vocal harmonies. Of the shorter tracks, ‘Outside The Box‘ is an intriguing instrumental departure where Jon Davison treats his voice as a pure instrument, utilizing layered vocalizations without words. Conversely, the riff-heavy ‘All Hands On Deck‘ is as close to Gentle Giant as Yes have ever come to sounding. It is a track that packs a genuine punch, proving Steve Howe can still rock out when the mood takes him.
With Aurora, Yes have successfully shrugged off all external demands for them to be anything other than who and what they are today. In doing so, they have delivered an album that sounds like a band completely rediscovering their sense of purpose.
