Author: Emma Loggins
Date: 2008-08-29


Interview:
Breakthrough rockers Yellowcard return with new album Paper Walls on July 17th, the third in a trilogy of albums that includes 2006’s gold-certified Lights and Sounds and their 2003 smash, Ocean Avenue. The band will join the 2007 Vans Warped Tour from June 29 – July 19, with more summer live dates to be announced soon. A full list of confirmed tour dates is below. Yellowcard emerged from Jacksonville, Florida with a completely infectious and original blend of rock, punk and classical (owing to violinist Sean Mackin) that made them a sure thing to break out of the pack, but even the band could not have imagined how far. With a string of successful indie releases, a tireless touring schedule and a steamrolling fan base the band made their Capitol Records debut with 2003’s Ocean Avenue. The album was a smash, spawning huge hit singles, sold-out tours in the U.S. and abroad, an MTV Video Music Award and has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. 2006’s gold-certified Lights and Sounds – an even bigger-sounding, more expansive and harder-edged album – was released to rave reviews, showcasing the band’s diversity as songwriters and once again sending them circling the globe. But with the success some darkness fell – the loss of founding guitarist Ben Harper, major vocal surgery for frontman Ryan Key, and general fatigue from years and years spent at breakneck speed had the group frazzled. After some badly-needed time off the band regrouped in a Los Angeles studio with a new plan: to have NO plan besides simply coming together for the sheer joy of writing and playing music. To get back to their roots, write songs for their own sake, and everything else was gravy. Those sessions yielded the songs which would become Paper Walls. Drawing from both the universal, buoyant, hook-filled style of Ocean Avenue and the tougher edges of Lights and Sounds, Paper Walls takes it all a step further with an energized, anthemic and forward-looking set of songs. We were able to sit down with Yellowcard's Sean Mackin for a one on one about the band's new album, their thoughts on touring with The Warped Tour, their favorite television shows, and what's next on their agenda!

How would you describe the growth of the band and the sound of the band from the previous albums to this album?

Sean: I would describe ‘Paper Walls’ growth as the natural evolution for anyone the age of 25 to 27, but with ‘Paper Walls’ we focused on the best of what Yellowcard had to offer from our previous work. Meaning we took the energy we had from Ocean Avenue and blended that with that sharp rock edge and all the different sonic evolutions we have on ‘Lights and Sounds’, and we basically mashed them together. So what we have on ‘Paper Walls’ is basically the finest Yellowcard sounds we have to offer.