YELLOWCARD - CHILDHOOD EYES
Recently at a sold-out show at Camden Underworld, London, Yellowcard frontman Ryan Key told a hyped-up crowd gathered to hear Ocean Avenue in full, that the new EP was coming soon. Claiming he thought the crowd would like it, with a hint that it may be a return to an older sound that was much loved by fans.
Yellowcard had a long run-up of teasing before the first single off the EP dropped, and much to the excitement of listeners there was definitely a ring of something sweetly reminiscent of their mid-2000s sound but with a touch of something fresh.
Speaking of the new single Key said: “I woke up in the middle of the night with the chorus ringing in my head. I grabbed my phone off of the nightstand and started typing away, squinting in the dark. This was months before we even started demoing the EP.”
“When we started writing I threw the idea in the hat at the last minute, picked up a guitar to try and put music to the melody in my head for the first time, and Childhood Eyes was born. This is a song about being defeating, let down, and deceived time and again, but still managing to find your creative soul and carry on. I think it captures the spirit of Yellowcard, both old and new,” he continued.
That is very much the vibe of the whole record the blending of old and new Yellowcard, giving listeners old and new something to really enjoy. Even from the first play, it's clear that you don’t need to have been there 20 years ago when Ocean Avenue was released to appreciate Childhood Eyes.
The band have said they think that the five songs could have fit on 2007’s Paper Walls, and they are not wrong. In fact, if you had said these were unreleased tracks written back then, you could be believed. They also found themselves going back to the past and enlisting producer Neal Avron: (Yellowcard, Fall Out Boy, Good Charlotte) to create the sound of their future.
Whether it's the opening track ‘Three Minutes More’ featuring wonderful vocals from Pierce The Veil frontman, Vic Fuentes and even better drums, or the epic ‘Hiding in The Light’ with its awesome guitar solos, every song hits hard, one way or another. And of course, the violin adds that extra sprinkling of perfection that we love and have missed.
The standout song on the EP is undoubtedly ‘The Places We’ll Go’ featuring vocals from Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional, not just because of his excellent vocals. Despite being the slower song of the EP it shows a kind of optimistic vulnerability of Key lyric-wise, backed by acoustic guitar and violin, sounding a little like some of the solo music Key put out during the band's hiatus. And a lot like what we are to expect around the corner. Future Yellowcard, older, wiser and ready to go!
Cat Wiltshire
★★★★★