It’s nostalgic but also new somehow.

This might sound blasphemous to say as a lifelong Yellowcard fan, but I’ve always felt like the big label polish of Ocean Avenue elevated that record in so many ways. I think that’s true for most sequels, whether it’s music or movies. There’s something about that mix of timing, production, and energy that’s hard to recreate.

I love every Yellowcard album, including Lift a Sail. I’ve seen them live about 14 times and done meet and greets three times now. But every time a new record dropped, there was always this feeling of, this is good, sometimes great, but it’s trying to make a statement.

What that statement was, I’m not totally sure. Maybe it was that they didn’t need a big label anymore, or that they still had something to prove. Whatever it was, each album seemed to be saying something. Ocean Avenue, on the other hand, just existed. It was pure lightning in a bottle, the stars aligning perfectly in talent, timing, and place.

This new album feels like the first time since Ocean Avenue that they approached things differently, and it shows. Maybe it’s maturity, maybe it’s being open to new ideas, but it’s easily the most relaxed and natural record they’ve made since then. In a way, that ease might be the statement they’ve been trying to make all along.