Pop punk band Yellowcard is best known by their hit song and album “Ocean Avenue” from 2003, an anthem for many emo and alternative people in the 2000s and 2010s. Now, the music’s become nostalgic.
After releasing their self-titled and supposed final album in 2016, the band hinted at returning with an album of softer renditions of their songs produced by ambient project Hammock in 2024. Fans would only have to wait one more year for some new material.
The result of this is “Better Days,” produced by Travis Barker of fellow pop punk band Blink-182, which was released on Friday, Oct. 10. Barker also played the drums for this album.
The title track could serve as both nostalgic and inspiring for those who grew up with pop punk and emo music, with lyrics about making an effort to live a better life even if you’re scared of change. In a sea of pessimism in emo music, a message like this is important. Sonically, the violins were a great addition and the drums at the end were so good it should have had an extended outro instead of ending prematurely.
“Take What You Want” is annoyingly repetitive and formulaic. The stadium “ohh” sounds at the beginning didn’t help either. It’s not that bad, but not something to return to considering there’s better songs on this album.
“Love Letters Lost,” featuring Matt Skiba of punk rock band Alkaline Trio, is easily one of the best songs on the album. The guitar arpeggios are really fun and reminiscent of pop punk band Rise Against’s “Paper Wings” to a certain degree. The opening lyric of “Are you a vampire? / Or are you just a good liar? ‘Cause I don’t know how you sleep at night” is scathing and surprisingly potent. The theme of the love letters from this past romantic interest being lost could be a symbol of moving on from a relationship and gaining independence; it’s a fun breakup song about lost love.
The violin makes a return on “honestly i” with upbeat and energetic drums and guitars to accompany it. There’s a slight amount of autotune on the vocals that is obvious in certain places, making it hard to discern if it’s intentional or not. It’s another fun song all things considered, but a tad repetitive.
“You Broke Me Too” features pop rock superstar Avril Lavigne in a duet. This song is catchy but it’s even better with Lavigne’s harmonization. At this point in the album though, the fast-paced nature of these songs starts to make the listener exhausted.
“City of Angels” gives the audience a well-needed breather from the back-to-back fast and energetic songs. This song is super pleasant with its more electronic-based production and vocals about the temporary nature of life and getting into different states of mind.
“Bedroom Posters” seems like an angsty song simply about ripping bedroom posters from your wall, but it’s also about letting go of the past and making something new from it as well as becoming confident in your identity. There’s something to say about the lyric “Don’t say those days are over / I’m restless lately / just medicate me,” likely showing signs of depression and anxiety. Still, the protagonist isn’t giving up but instead persevering. This song also has some of the best guitar work on the entire album and it’s so pleasant to listen to.
“Skin Scraped” is another contender for the best song on the album with “Love Letters Lost,” oddly serving as a sort of direct parallel to it with how vocalist Ryan Key sings “I’m never letting go of you again” like how the love letters were let go of. The bass finally gets its time to shine in the mix. Furthermore, the chorus is one of the catchiest hooks on the entire album.
“Better Days” is a grower admittedly, but you could listen a lot worse in the pop punk scene than this album by bands contemporary to Yellowcard’s original run. There’s room for improvement for this album, but Yellowcard still has the pop punk spirit.
Rating: 3.5/5