Band: Yellowcard
Release: Awakening (Single)
Release Date: Out Now
Yellowcard are complete veterans to the pop punk scene with eight studio albums at last count. Their latest album ‘Southern Air’ came out last summer and gave everyone the breeze of sunshine and happiness we’ve all come to know and love from Yellowcard. They faced the difficult decision to come out of hiatus in 2011, it wasn’t just a decision to reform and record new material – they already had a legacy to live up to. Fortunately ‘Southern Air’ lived up to expectations.
The band have now been around for over fifteen years – an incredible feat in today’s world – and it’s easy to hear their influence on the current music scene. During ‘Awakening’ you can hear the similarities to other bands within the genre, most noteably All Time Low. If you didn’t know Yellowcard you’d be forgiven for thinking it could be the Baltimore rockers.
‘Awakening’ is everything you’d expect from the Florida based band. There are catchy melodies, incredible harmonies and strong vocals from Ryan Key. The track really doesn’t disappoint. There are the lighter breezing moments but as the tracks nears a closure a slower paced – almost ballad like – part of the song kicks in as Ryan sings “No rest for the wicked they say/ Forgive me if I try to change“. Yellowcard‘s tracks have always have a distinguishable sound to them but on ‘Awakening’ it’s more the verses that stand out than the chorus. As Key belts out ‘Yes I miss you still and probably always will/I’m living with a busted heart that I will have until I find the strength/I know its somewhere in my bones” Although the repetitive nature of “Bottoms up tonight I drink to you” will be circling in your head long after the track finishes.
Yellowcard have come out with yet another smashing track to add to their back catalogue. If there’s ever a pick me up, feel-good track; ‘Awakening’ is the one.
9/10
Reviewer: Rhian Westbury
