[Cover photo features, left to right, Jay Schellen, Jon Davison, Steve Howe, Billy Sherwood, Geoff Downes, photo credit to Gottlieb Bros.]
The band YES, featuring Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood, and Jay Schellen, released their 24th studio album, Aurora, earlier this year via InsideOutMusic/Sony Music. Now, the band have launched a deluxe digital edition, including instrumentals of the full album, as well as a brand-new video for the track “Ariadne,” once again directed by Matt Hutchings.
Jon Davison comments:
‘Ariadne’ was one of those songs that seemed to reveal itself as we were writing it. I’ve been captivated by Greek mythology since I was a child, so there was something particularly exciting for me about exploring the story of Ariadne through music. There’s a wonderful sense of mystery and discovery in the song, and that’s what I love most about it. I’m really proud of what we created together, and I hope people feel that same sense of discovery and wonder when they hear it.
Aurora is available as a Limited Deluxe 180g Light Green 2LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook & Poster, as well as a Ltd Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook, both featuring the artwork of Roger Dean and Freyja Dean, as well as a bonus disc of instrumentals, and a blu-ray featuring Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound & 24bit stereo mixes (by Curtis Schwartz). The album is also available as a Gatefold 180g 2LP + LP-booklet, Special Edition CD Digipak & as Digital Album.
When Yes first began sketching out ideas for what would become the new album, there was no preconceived concept, just a collection of musical fragments that gradually began to take form. Among these early sketches was a piece titled “Aurora”, and it quickly became clear that the name carried certain gravity. It suggested “light, emergence, and a sense of vastness”, qualities that resonated deeply with the band. Jon Davison recalls that it introduced “a conceptual tone that would guide the project.”
Work on Aurora began almost as soon as the ‘Classic Tales of Yes’ tour ended in 2024. The idea of a new album surfaced quickly and the band had the time to develop material organically. They allowed a process where “ideas were born in home studios, shaped independently, and then woven together through constant collaboration.” Across Aurora, each track carries its own character. Some echo the classic approach, others push into new territory, but together they form a cohesive whole.
