Review Summary: When I finally lay down to sleep...
Yellowcard are an easy band to dismiss. Their lyrics have always been tinged with adolescence and naivety, and they have that early 2000's pop punk sound that can be incredibly grating. But.....it seems like every rule I have for pop punk, Yellowcard can break and utterly and completely get away with it. I haven't found a clear cut reason for this, but it's only a detriment to myself to deny my own enjoyment of records like Ocean Avenue and Southern Air. They always had such genuineness, every slightly cliche lyrical passage was filled with meaning and straightforward delivery, it was hard to deny a connection. So when I heard they were breaking up, I took it pretty well. They'd already been on hiatus before, they'd had a good, long run, and I was a fair weather fan anyways. But then I decided to pick this record up.
Yellowcard's parting gift to their loyal fanbase is the crowning jewel in a 10 album crown. It is a perfect summation of everything they've done, as far as I can tell. There's the youthfulness of early records, the ability to let go found on later records, and even something new. There's a sound of comfortability. A sound of recognition. There's less carrying on about what could've been, what got away, and more of what is and what will be. To my surprise, it's not all about resolution, even if that is kind of the point.
The Hurt is Gone is the kind of song that makes sense for Yellowcard at this stage. The lyrics fit with their style, but they seem like they could only be written now.
"Change comes for you, even if you're hiding out"
I've not had a good year. Woes from relationships, or lack thereof honestly, have plagued almost all 12 months of my 2016, and if it wasn't those, it was trying to learn how to best be alone in a day and age where you end up connected to everyone. So the frankness and optimism of The Hurt is Gone, and most of the album really, was much needed. I'm the wallowing type, so you can imagine my surprise when I felt so much better after hearing something hopeful and feeling better. It usually just seems disingenuous and silly in music, but Yellowcard know how to say what they want to say. It knows that the tunnel is long and you've been in it a long time. But it also knows there's a light at the end of it. And it'll find it's way to you. Just so long as you keep walking.
Aside from making a rather large personal appeal, this album is just catchy as all hell. Rest in Peace, What Appears, and Got Yours all have incredible amounts of forward momentum, never wasting a moment of their blazing anthemic pop punk. A Place We Set Afire slows things down in a way that doesn't sacrifice the album's movement, and is another highlight. And Leave A Light On makes me misty every time. It embodies what I meant when I said the album's optimism was realistic, it's not exactly cheery. But it's beautiful, simple, and reassuring nonetheless. I'm A Wrecking Ball feels like the most personal for Ryan Key on the album, lyrical odes to family and one's own self destructive tendencies cover the song. Most of all, it's about home. Something to look forward to as one door closes. But...... Fields and Fences, man. Fields and Fences.
The last song on the album may be the best one Yellowcard ever wrote. It's a perfect way to encapsulate the album, the people in the band, and the two decades they've been around. I may not have been a faithful follower through all the years, but I wished I was the second the song ended. I can't imagine the amount of emotions felt by people who had been with them for years. Because it is as good as farewells get, friends.
I want to speak directly to Yellowcard right now. All the current members and all the past. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for helping me these past few months with this beautiful album you've put together. Thank you on behalf of all your fans. Thank you for being who you are in a genre full of bull*** artists and pandering fools. Thank you for helping me through these past few months, and for inevitability helping me through the next few years. You were the best you could be for me. For all of us.
Rest in peace, Yellowcard. You deserve it.
