Yes will release The Quest on October 1st, marking the band's first new studio set in seven years. The band is led by longtime members Steve Howe, Alan White, and Geoff Downes — along with newer recruits Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood.
Steve Howe, who produced the new set, said in the official announcement:
It is simply an honor for me to have the opportunity to bring together the band members in the development of a well-refined set of songs that capture the band’s true potential. Much of the music was written in late 2019 with the rest in 2020.
We commissioned several orchestrations to augment and enhance the overall sound of these fresh new recordings, hoping that our emphasis on melody, coupled with some expansive instrumental solo breaks, keeps up the momentum for our listeners.
Steve Howe recently touched upon the band's revolving door of members throughout the years: ["It's kind of an evolutionary thing. And Yes just kept going and going and maybe taking short breaks — maybe a couple of years — then the lineup might change and we might get back together. Y'know, this person would leave — and people leave sometimes, because they really do want to do different music, y'know, and Bill Bruford did that. And several Yes musicians have done that. But other times, yeah, there's a bit of intrigue. There could be some problems; somebody doesn't like a record we made, or didn't like a tour — it's all a mixed bag."] SOUNDCUE (:25 OC: . . . a mixed bag)
Pre-orders for The Quest begin on July 23rd.
