After two-and-a-half years, the music that provided a soundtrack for rebellious-yet-sensitive, coastal-dreaming pop-punk kids of the early 00’s is back. YELLOWCARD have put the break to rest with the announcement of a brand new record on a new label and tearing into life on the road again.
Returning to their pre-major label indie beginnings, Yellowcard have recently signed with Hopeless Records for their seventh studio album, the first since 2007’s Paper Walls. For round seven (and after 3 million records sold), Ryan Key (vocals/guitar) and original members Sean Mackin (violin) and Longineu (“LP”) Parsons (drums) continuing with Ryan Mendez (guitar) will be joined by longtime friend of the band Sean O’Donnell (bass), whose addition has been described as a “natural fit” for the current mindset and progression of the group.
“Hopeless seemed to be the right place for us; they were really interested in working with the band, very proactive, and had a lot of great ideas for us,” says frontman/guitarist Ryan Key. “They’re giving us the opportunity to do exactly what we want with it, and we’re thankful to have an established fanbase that is already interested in what we have to put out.”
“We have all been big fans of Yellowcard since their early days” adds Hopeless Records President Louis Posen. “Our team is having a great time working with the band and we are thrilled that there is going to be a new Yellowcard album soon. We know the fans want new music and we are honored and humbled that we get to play a part in helping such a great band write the next chapter in their career.”
Key said the writing process has been like picking up just where they left off, that they “feel like kids again, having fun and driving around listening to the music we just created, no words yet, just the music over and over again.” They will soon begin recording with their tried-and-true producer Neal Avron – “the sixth member of our band” – and are aiming for a spring release, enough time to take new material and the classic benchmarks out for a refresher.
“We’re talking about a ton of different ideas, and we’re itching to start as soon as possible,” Key said. “Ultimately, we want to make something the fans will love. What we love to do most, is look out from the stage and see people exploding with energy, and I think we keep that in mind while we are writing. We miss being out on the road playing for Yellowcard fans all around the world, and without their support we wouldn’t have a career.”
For some vintage Yellowcard, check out our interview!
PopZineOnline.com 