When I last spoke to Jon Davison from YES, we talked about legacy — what it feels like to sing songs from Fragile, an album released in the same year he was born. This time, the conversation moved forward, because YES have a brand new studio album, Aurora, released on June 12th.
Aurora feels like an album full of light, space, imagination and collaboration. It is unmistakably YES, but it does not feel like a band trying to recreate the past. It feels like a group of musicians still curious, still creating, still willing to move into new territory.
For Jon, being part of this creative chapter is clearly deeply meaningful.
“It feels so gratifying to sense the momentum of my own personal development as well as the band’s.”
He spoke openly about walking that fine line between honouring Jon Anderson’s legacy and expressing his own voice as an artist.
“There’s a complete picture in my story because it’s very important that I walk that line honouring the legacy member Jon Anderson.”
Aurora: An Album of Light
The title track opens the album with a cinematic, almost orchestral sense of arrival. There is a feeling of lift and renewal running through the whole record, and Jon agreed when I described it as an antidote to the times we are living in.
“It’s just medicine for the soul and I think the world needs it more than ever.”
That, to me, is the emotional heart of Aurora. It is not escapism in a shallow sense. It is music that asks you to pause, breathe, listen and reconnect.
Jon explained that the title came partly from his own meditation practice and studies of Eastern philosophy.
“I was doing a lot of meditation, studying Eastern philosophy, learning about inner illumination.”
That idea of inner light sits beautifully within the YES tradition. You can draw a line from Awaken through to Aurora — not musically in a direct copycat sense, but spiritually, in that search for something bigger than the everyday.
A Band Making Its Own Rules
One of the things I felt strongly while listening to Aurora is that YES sound like a band enjoying themselves. They are not looking over their shoulders. They are not trying to second-guess what progressive rock fans think they should do.
Jon summed that up perfectly:
“YES doesn’t follow rules. We make our own rules.”
That, for me, is what progressive rock should be. I do not want to know exactly where the music is going next. I want to be surprised.
There are moments on Aurora that feel classic YES — the harmonies, the instrumental detail, the way the music opens out into light and shade. But there are also shorter pieces, heavier guitar moments, acoustic passages, spiritual lyrics, playful vocal textures and reflections on modern life, including artificial intelligence.
Countermovement and the Long-Form YES Tradition
The centrepiece of the album is “Countermovement”, a near 14-minute track that gives fans of longer-form YES music plenty to absorb.
Jon revealed that Steve Howe’s vocal at the beginning began as a guide, but felt too personal and vulnerable to replace.
“I said, ‘You know what, Steve, I don’t want to go in and replace your vocal… I think that’s the vocal.’”
The song also touches on AI, but in a satirical, almost playful way.
“It’s fun though. We had a very tongue-in-cheek sort of laugh about it.”
Jon Davison’s Creative Growth
Jon has now been in YES for 14 years, and what came across strongly is how much he has grown into the role — not just as a singer, but as a songwriter.
He spoke honestly about Heaven & Earth, feeling that he was still finding his way, and that the band were under pressure at the time. But with The Quest, Mirror to the Sky and now Aurora, he feels a genuine creative progression.
“I mainly hear a personal progression, my own evolution as a songwriter.”
That is important. This is not Jon merely standing in front of YES singing the classics. He is now part of the continuing story.
Steve Howe: The Driving Force
We also spoke about Steve Howe, whose energy and determination continue to inspire the band.
Jon described him with huge warmth:
“He has as much energy as me — more so a lot of times.”
He also credited Steve’s meditation, diet and positive mental attitude as part of that extraordinary vitality.
“He’s the most balanced individual I’ve ever met.”
Aurora is not YES as a museum piece. It is not a band simply preserving old glories. It is YES continuing to create, still searching for light, still pushing forward.
For me, this is exactly what progressive rock should do. It should lift the spirit, open the imagination and sometimes take you somewhere you did not expect to go.
Aurora does that.
And as I always say — music is the healer and the doctor.
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
