ALBUM REVIEW: Better Days – Yellowcard
For a time, it looked like we would never see another album by pop-punk icons; YELLOWCARD. This year however has seen a shift that has brought YELLOWCARD back into the zeitgeist as they bring us their first full album since 2016 with their new album Better Days, an album that comes with some serious fire power as its executive producer is Travis Barker of BLINK-18, who also offers his services on every track on the album. It’s a welcome return to the band who have on and off been together and disbanded over the good part of a decade.
Opening track, Better Days is a great pop-punk offering with some excellent vocals on offer front frontman Ryan Key. It sets the standard for the rest of the album with a sound that is truly aiming high and packs a punch to boot with the instantly recognisable drumming style of Travis Barker. Every gap is filled by his beats which offers some gravitas to the song but also overshadow the sound of YELLOWCARD slightly by sounding quite like BLINK-182. However, the song is very relatable by focusing on themes of being stuck in a rut waiting for it to change.
Take What You Want builds on the momentum of the opener, again leaning heavily into the pop-punk sound which fans of the genre are going to love, expect mass sing a longs when performing live. An eerily highlight of the album is Love Letters Lost, it packs a great punch and this time the drumming takes a step back and lets the band themselves flourish. It’s fast paced, catchy and takes you way back to the early 2000s with its sound and even features the wonderful vocals of punk royalty, Matt Skiba whose instantly recognisable vocals take this song up a whole new level from his presence alone. As soon as he joins in the song, it’s like a warm hug.
Is it even a YELLOWCARD song without a violin featuring on their songs? After one being absent for the first few songs, we finally hear on reeling in the start of the song honestly i which truly gives this album that classic YELLOWCARD feel that we’ve all known to come and love over the years. Whilst the first few songs have focused on bombast, this song still has the ripping pace of a punk song but feels a little more subtle in its sound compared to the opening tracks, giving us another highlight of the record, it’s honest and open and shows a nice vulnerable side to the band.
Whilst the fast paced nature of the album has been at the forefront so far, You Broke Me Too brings in a great slow rock ballad packed with huge guitar riffs and a huge emotive chorus that will no doubt have fans singing at the top of their lungs when performed live. Another punk icon features here in the guise of AVRIL LAVIGNE, another instantly recognisable voice that compliments the vocals of Ryan Key perfectly as the two bounce off each other perfectly, both at the top of their game. It’s emotive and brings the feels whilst giving the listener a nice bit of respite on the record. City of Angels takes a completely different turn on the record, with hip-hop beats on a drum machine and synthesisers leading this song, it does sort of feel like an instant turn which at first feels out of place, but the more you listen to it you vibe with it nicely as it brings a really nice chilled and relaxing sound to the album.
Bedroom Posters brings back the huge epic feel of the record with a classic TRAVIS BARKER swinging drum beat to boot, it’s a fun way to bring back the punk sound to the record but doesn’t quite hit the highs of all the songs that came before it. It does however have a great bounce to it that renders you unable to stay still whilst listening to it. Whilst Better Days has had a nice polished feel to it throughout listening, there is something about the next song; Skin Scraped that has a great rough around the edges feel to it. Once again the influence from TRAVIS BARKER is apparent on this as the sound is incredibly similar to that of early 2000s BLINK-182, taking inspiration from the likes of Obvious, Down and has a similar melody to Reckless Abandon slightly. These influences don’t detract from the quality though, it’s an absolute banger of a tune.
The penultimate track of the record, Barely Alive, shows this album has one more ballad type track left in it. The stadium rock sound comes through on this one with the huge choruses and nice subtle verses where everyone will be swaying together singing along live, arms round each others shoulders or holding lighters (probably phones these days) as high as they can. It’s a tender moment before the album sees itself out. Finishing the album on a quieter note is Big Blue Eyes, a nice acoustic number which is well deserved after the sonic assault of Better Days. It’s a cute love song that doesn’t feel cheesy or schmalzty whatsoever and brings an end to Better Days perfectly.
Better Days shows that the near ten year wait was worth it. It’s fun from start to finish and doesn’t feel rushed or have any wasted moments. With the band saying they didn’t want to record unless it’s the best of their career, you do believe this whilst listening. It’s a wonderful return to form for the band and hopefully is the reason they stick around for a long time to come. In the renaissance of early 2000s bands we’re currently going through, there’s no reason that YELLOWCARD can’t have their moment. Better Days is one of 2025’s great albums that will more than likely feature on AOTY lists come December.
Rating: 9/10
Better Days is out now via Better Noise Music.
For more information on YELLOWCARD like their official page on Facebook.