Review Summary: "Now I'll choose life, and I'll get by, and sing till the day I die."
Yellowcard have always chosen life. Whether they were courting the one that got away on
Ocean Avenue, finding peace on
Southern Air, or heeding the beckoning calls of family on their self-titled farewell, the
passion has always been there. The zest and zeal to say what's on their hearts and do what they feel is most important to them. It certainly helps that lead vocalist Ryan Key has always had a disarmingly uncanny ability to weave palpable and emphatic emotional statements out of what would otherwise be generic reading passages. On
Yellowcard, they seemed
so sure that it was time to bow out. "I think we were lucky just to stay alive," Key lamented on "Rest in Peace", almost with a sense of understated despondency, as if to suggest he was acutely aware that the spark to create music, at least in a full band setting, had completely died off. I have no doubt in my mind that Yellowcard really meant it when they decided to disband in 2017. I'm just
so f*cking glad that not only is the spark to create still there, but they have taken full advantage of it.
When Yellowcard announced their reunion (originally just a one-off Riot Fest berth) in May 2022, I was still trying to make my peace with the possibility, nay,
reality, that the band was gone for good. I probably had no room to complain as someone who only just got into them in the last several years, but their absence really effected me. Realizing I had missed out on so much was really sobering. So when they decided to reform, I too came back to life. I finally fulfilled my dream of seeing them perform live this past July in Philly, and I have been so excited by the prospect of walking with them on their journey, as they have walked with me. If the new 5-track EP
Childhood Eyes is any indication of what an elongated reunion looks like, all of us should be boundlessly ecstatic for the future.
Childhood Eyes is vintage Yellowcard. Sean Mackin's violins swell as poignantly as ever, Ryan Mendez's riffs are perhaps the fieriest of his tenure with the group to date, and the whole production just oozes with the sunny, coastal California vibes that have always been endemic to the band's sound. Featuring Pierce the Veil's Vic Fuentes, opener "Three Minutes More", all the way down to its very title, seems to suggest an eagerness by the band to start anew. Yellowcard have been breaking us, making us sing and leaving us wondering in the span of three minutes and change for decades now, so perhaps the concept of rebirth and getting to do this again is something they've made it a point to touch base on. On the title track, Key's bemoaning of having an "atheist heart" is surpassed by an overarching optimism ("I've found my childhood eyes/Am I the only one who isn't dead inside?") that seems to underscore the sense of renewal that is present in the band. On the bridge, he repeats that "I am the love you need," the
perfect juxtaposition to all the times he screamed his lungs out about needing his nameless suitor. Now,
she needs him, and he's well aware of his self-worth.
"Hiding in the Light" is, without question, one of Yellowcard's greatest compositions
ever. "Can we get on this ride again, just one more?" Key pleas, further enforcing the mantra that he's ready to forge ahead. To be honest, this song kind of encapsulates my relationship with the band's music; "Give me all of you every time, destroy me. You and me for the rest of this life, the future I see." On the high-flying chorus, Key betokens a promise of confidence and certainty about the future; "Now I'll choose life and I'll get by and sing till the day I die," he sings, as I sing every word back to him. Some songs have a way of illustrating a desire for life, and this song does that for me, as I'm sure it does for the entire band. But we didn't even get to that
bridge yet.
God. F*cking. Damn. It. Mackin and Mendez pair up on violin and lead guitar for one of the most exhilarating instrumental sections this side of "Gifts and Curses" and "Always Summer." This EP reaches a different plane of greatness on this track. They
absolutely smashed this one out of the park.
Anberlin drummer and longtime YC session member Nate Young returns on this EP, and I think he more than compensates for the absence of Longineu Parsons III. On "Honest from the Jump", his frenetic drum fills are a bit more prominent as Key's stratospheric vocals match the elemental lyrical content. Dashboard Confessional frontman Chris Carrabba drops in on the all-acoustic closer "The Places We'll Go." Here, Ryan Key again emphasizes the boundless optimism that is, without exception, this EP's calling card. "But you were still somewhere deep in my heart," Key confesses, once again inexplicably taking my own sentiments and giving them a voice. He's a crafty son of a bitch, huh, Sowing? It kind of reminds me of "Hang You Up." "I hang you up and then I pull you down," the familiar refrain plays in my head. Like I mentioned before, I spent
years trying to come to terms with the fact that I'd only ever have Yellowcard's past work to enjoy, only to emotionally reinvest the second they announced a comeback. Those exact emotions raise their head again on this closing cut, but now equipped with an added zest for barreling towards the unknown. "I wanna show you the ways that I've grown," Key proclaims. "I want you to show me the places we'll go," further crystallizing the mutual desire to press on between the band and their loyal fans. With this one,
Childhood Eyes takes a bow.
It's tough to pinpoint where exactly this ranks in YC lore. I will say, it almost makes their self-titled album seem non-canonical anymore, because every jaded and bitter musing that was present on that album, has been completely washed away. Being that this is my first new Yellowcard release as an active fan, I think it will definitely hold a special place in my heart for years to come. As for its place in YC's all-time pantheon, I guess it remains to be seen. It's definitely more akin to
Paper Walls or
When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes, than either of their previous two albums or even
Lights and Sounds. I think that's what makes
Childhood Eyes so essential, though. It's armed with the summery and youthful disposition that no classic Yellowcard project would be caught dead without, Neal Avron's golden production included. All the key (pun
very much intended) members are still here, save for Parsons, and the time away has definitely done wonders for their performance level. A fresh coat of paint on a sturdy house. Yellowcard punctuate their return in the most perfect way. I think it's safe to say they're not going anywhere this time.
Welcome back, Yellowcard. I am
so f*cking excited to see the places we'll go.
