NEW MUSIC: Yellowcard Announce 'Better Days', First New Album In Close To A Decade Produced By Travis Barker & Share New Tunes

YELLOWCARD | Photo Credit: Joe Brady

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Alt rock favourites Yellowcard are celebrating the announcement of their new album Better Days by releasing the lead single and title track Better Days along with album track honestly i. 

Better Days is the band’s first full feature length album in almost a decade and will be available on October 10. This highly anticipated album is produced as well as executive produced by Travis Barker. Barker also plays drums on every song.

The single Better Days is an unflinching reflection on gratitude, forgiveness, perspective and purpose. Once ubiquitous on MTV and the Billboard Hot 100, the Vans Warped Tour veterans, whose first two albums produced double-platinum and gold title tracks in the US, sound fully recharged and revitalised in 2025. William Ryan Key, Sean Mackin, Ryan Mendez and Josh Portman have never sounded stronger.  

The song Better Days is also accompanied by a music video that has the guys depicting iconic 80’s movie characters performing in a vintage video shop. Directed by Jordan Phoenix, the video is a refection of how much fun the guys are having this time around as a band and with their music.  

“We are focused on this chapter of our career being about happiness. This is the most fun we’ve had making a video in 20 years and we hope everyone has a smile on their face when they watch it.” - Ryan Key

The band agreed that making a new album was pointless unless it was the best of their career. They refused to rush the process and for the first time gave themselves permission to ask for help. Ryan Mendez invited his long time friend Nick Long into the writing sessions and it was through Long that Barker became part of the project, coming on board to play drums and produce the whole ablum.

“I started the record as one version of myself and came out the other side changed,” says front man Ryan Key who credits Barker with a significant impact on his personal and creative studio breakthroughs. “I went in knowing I needed help. I came out of it writing songs like I was 19 again.”

Formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, Yellowcard became one of the most influential bands in the 2000s alternative rock scene. Known for blending high energy pop punk with a signature violin twist, their 2003 breakthrough Ocean Avenue is certified Platinum in the US with the title track now certified 2 times platinum. With over 4 million albums sold worldwide and over 1 billion streams, the band is poised for continued success on this new endeavor. After disbanding in 2017, Yellowcard reunited in 2022 entering into a new creative era and a year packed with a global tour to support it.

Yellowcard meant it when they said goodbye. The lights dimmed on one of the most beloved pop-punk and alt-rock bands of the 2000s with intention and authenticity. Wrapping things up with a farewell tour, Yellowcard exited the “right” way, with grace, appreciation, and finality. 

But the story wasn’t complete. Legacy cracked the door. Healing blew it wide open. Riding a resurgence that saw the global Ocean Avenue 20th anniversary tour featured in Forbes and a reconciliation that put all four members at peace with their legacy and each other, Yellowcard just made the most ambitious and emotionally resonant record of their career. Better Days, the band’s first album in nearly a decade, was produced by blink-182’s Travis Barker, who also played drums on every track. 

Their first release with powerhouse label Better Noise Music, Better Days is Yellowcard’s testimony that healing is a process, growth is nonlinear, and sometimes the best chapter opens after the supposed ending. This isn’t just a return. It’s a reckoning. And this time, Yellowcard is ready. 

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BETTER DAYS (SINGLE) - OUT NOW

STREAM HERE

I FEEL THE EVERBLACK FESTERING WITHIN ME (ALBUM) - DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 12

PRE-ORDER HERE

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BY TIANA SPETER