Album Review: Yellowcard – Southern Air
Until today, I had no idea that Yellowcard had five studio releases prior to their newest effort, “Southern Air”. The Jacksonville quintet is most commonly known for it’s 2004 pop-punk anthem “Ocean Avenue”.
Like many other pop-punk bands from the early 2000’s, Yellowcard has reached that stage where they can announce a reunion tour, and have all of their now-adult listeners regroup in order to see how things went.
(Yellowcard @ Vans Warped Tour 2012)
Things went well. This is one honest, catchy little record. Among other things, it captures the spirit of summer, hope, love, and loss. Starting off on a hard-hitting note with “Awakening,” Ryan Key sets the tone for the next 9 songs- bold, confident, and true to the band’s evolution. Complete with Star Wars references, rhythmic background violin, and confessions about age-specific mishaps, this 10-song release is definitely worth a listen if you were once a teenage Yellowcard fan of any kind. Once you’ve reached your mid-20’s, you sometimes can’t help but be curious if you’ve grown out of, or grown with the bands of your youth. Followed by the windows-down, stereo-up melodies of “Always Summer,” the album’s 4th track addresses those (post) college-aged fans:
“They say you don’t grow up, you just grow old / It’s safe to say I haven’t done both. I’ve made mistakes, I know, I know / But here I am, alive.”
Amen to that.
“Southern Air” is a title track clearly dedicated to the band’s roots. Ending this sixth release from Yellowcard, it makes you appreciate that home is where your memories are, and what you choose to make of them.
“This southern air is in my lungs / It’s in every word I’ve sung. Seems the only truth I know / This will always be my home.”
Overall, I’d say I was pleasantly surprised. It’s clear that the band wrote the record for themselves, but I imagine it will be enjoyed by many.
“Southern Air” hits stores on August 14th, 2012 via Hopeless Records. You can preorder the new album here.
Review by: Daniela Rupolo
Photo by: Steve St. Jean
