Photo c/o Acacia Evans
By Stephanie Cincinnati
Edited by Erica McNatt
With the momentum of the band’s Childhood Eyes EP last year, solid U.S. tour last summer, newly released A Hopeful Sign collaboration album with neoclassical/post-rock ambient artists Hammock, and their upcoming tour this summer with Third Eye Blind, Yellowcard is certainly back…
The nearly two-month-long tour starts on June 8th and will pass through 37 cities, including multiple stops in California, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Tampa, Jacksonville, Atlanta, and rounding out in Houston on August 3.
The discography of American pop-punk band Yellowcard consists of 11 studio albums, 12 singles, two live albums, four extended plays, one video album, and three compilation albums. In an interview with Dying Scene, the band was asked about the origin of their name. Those assuming a reference to soccer were right; it was a phrase they used in high school. Whenever somebody did something “stupid” at a party, such as drop a beer on the carpet, they enforced soccer rules and gave them a “yellow card” for committing a “party foul.”
The latest release A Hopeful Sign came with a twist: a collaboration with the duo Hammock. They already have a distinctive, dynamic emo-punk sound with flawless, alternative violin harmonies that helped make the Jacksonville, FL, band stand out in the 2000’s pop-punk scene. They’ve now taken their versatility one step further with this release.
After six years, the band reunited in September 2022 for a performance at Riot Fest and embarked on a 20th-anniversary tour for Ocean Avenue in 2023 with Story of the Year, Mayday Parade, Anberlin, and This Wild Life. Next, a new five-song EP, Childhood Eyes, was released on July 21, 2023. The project marks the band’s first studio material in nearly seven years, following their self-titled album in 2016. Violinist Sean Mackin told Get Some Magazine, “Yellowcard’s return was fueled by a reunion show to celebrate Ocean Avenue for Riot Fest, and that enthusiastic welcome fueled a full tour and an uncertain future for our band.”
That wasn’t it for the guys. I was at their 20th anniversary show in Baltimore, and midway through the set Ryan said, “We’re back and not going anywhere.” No sooner did he belt that out, there was a decibel-breaking cheer from the crowd; everyone was hoping for those words from one of their favorite pop-punk Warped Tour-era bands.
More images from their headlining performance at Four Chord Music Festival 2023, c/o Stephanie Cincinnati
In January 2024 on Good Morning America, the band announced a collaborative project titled A Hopeful Sign. The album consists of nine previously released Yellowcard songs re-envisioned and remodeled by Hammock. The compilation was released on February 9, 2024. Yellowcard’s musical style has mainly been described as pop punk, alternative rock, and hardcore punk; this compilation is the opposite. Each song is lightened up, slower with soothing tones versus the original versions, and they still don’t disappoint. “For each of these songs, I just sent over a lead vocal and a piano, and Hammock reinvented these songs in way that only they could do,” explained Ryan Key.
The tracks were deconstructed, revisited, and revamped with a delicate, ambient feel, giving the fans a whole different experience to older, nostalgic songs. Of course, the first single had to be “Ocean Avenue” (video linked below.) The album pulls tracks from 2003’s Ocean Avenue, 2006’s Lights And Sounds, 2007’s Paper Walls, 2012’s Southern Air, 2014’s Lift A Sail, and 2016’s Yellowcard. “It is such an honor to have worked on ‘A Hopeful Sign’ with such talented humans, and this record will be something we cherish forever,” says Ryan.
If that wasn’t enough, a tour with Third Eye Blind was announced shortly after.
The Summer 2023 tour was their largest yet with the biggest venues they’ve ever headlined at capacity. Plus, the well-received EP Childhood Eyes showcased in Rolling Stone, People, FORBES, Alternative Press, Consequence of Sound, Brooklyn Vegan, and more. Key told Rolling Stone, “It’s funny how we don’t feel like we are chasing anything anymore. It’s safe to say that the band is bigger than we’ve ever been in our entire career right now.” He added, “I’m filled with an unbelievable sense of gratitude. We’re playing for between five and seven thousand people a night.”
And 2024 is already proving to be even bigger with their next tour supporting Third Eye Blind on the 4th edition of the Summer Gods Tour. Just over 2 weeks in, this tour will also feature the band Arizona, and a portion of the proceeds for the Summer Gods Tour will benefit SeaTrees. Since 2017, Third Eye Blind has sought to mitigate the touring industry’s carbon impact and also banned plastic water bottles backstage, saving an estimated 17,000 bottles per tour. This tour will be at some venues Yellowcard has never played in, which only adds to their excitement.
Yellowcard has certainly kept their name and music relevant since the beginning and have proven they can stick around. We’re excited to see what the guys choose to do after this tour…maybe another album? Until then, we have a tour to enjoy and sing along to.
Pittsburgh Music Magazine 