It's not often you get a second chance in life, especially in the music industry, where success - sustained or fleeting - is anything but a given. But that is precisely what has happened for US rock outfit Yellowcard, who return on October 10 with their new album Better Days.
After forming in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, Yellowcard became one of the most influential bands in the 2000’s alternative rock scene. Known for blending high-energy pop punk with a signature violin twist, their 2003 breakthrough Ocean Avenue is certified Platinum, with the title track now certified two times Platinum.
Despite this early success - or perhaps because of it - Yellowcard disbanded ten years later, making emotional goodbyes to fans all around the world with a farewell tour. It seemed as though the band's decade of dominance would remain at just that, until Yellowcard reunited in 2022 with a fresh outlook and armed with lessons learnt the first time around.
Fans and the music scene in general embraced the band's music once more, affirming Yellowcard's decision to return from premature band retirement and solidifying their resolve to make their next album also their best. After signing with Better Noise Music, Yellowcard confirmed the addition of Blink 182's Travis Barker to produce the new material, which he was so impressed with, he also stepped behind the kit to play on the whole album.
The result is everything you ever loved about Yellowcard, boosted by musical output from a band that sounds like they have come to terms with their musical status and, more importantly, have rediscovered their zest for life and music.
HEAVY recently sat down with frontman Ryan Key, who battled the effects of a cold to talk about the continued rise of Yellowcard. We start with a subtle attempt at humour by asking how he is feeling about the imminent release of the new album and wish him Better Days ahead because of it.
"It already has, mate," he smiled. "It already has. It's not even out yet, and we're already having the best chapter of this band's career. I think we're right in the middle of it right now. So the fact that the album isn't even out yet and so many amazing things have already happened for us around it and with it, it's pretty mind-blowing."
We continue down that line, asking if the feelings and expectations surrounding the new release are different this time around.
"It feels…," he measured. "We have made a lot of music in our career. We've made a lot of records, and we've written a lot of songs. In 2008, we stepped away from the band - not in the same way that we did in 2016-17 - but in 08 there was this feeling of uncertainty in terms of what was going to come next. We had gone up the first side of the mountain extremely fast. We went from practising in whatever garage we could find to being at the Video Music Awards in two and a half years. It was really rapid. And so we came down the backside of that mountain equally as fast, and we didn't really know what was next."
In the full interview, Ryan talks more about the first stage of Yellowcard's career, including the highs and lows. He opened up about the problems the band faced with being part of the industry cog and how it left them disheartened at a time where they should have been riding the crest of a wave.
He went deeper into the musical side of Better Days, how it is an improvement on anything they have ever done before, and how it represents Yellowcard in 2025. Ryan also detailed how Travis Barker came on board as producer and what difference it made to the finished product. He told us his feelings on working with Barker and how he came to be their studio drummer, signing with Better Noise Music, reaching Number One on the charts after 22 years and more.
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