POP-PUNKS Yellowcard may have roots in sunny Florida, but the band’s new album was largely inspired by events taking place after dark.
Last winter, lead singer Ryan Key and bassist Pete Mosely moved to New York following an 18-month tour behind Yellowcard’s double-platinum debut, “Ocean Avenue.” While the rest of the band went home to Jacksonville or Los Angeles, the pair spent their time writing “Lights and Sounds,” which arrives in stores Tuesday, followed that night by a sold-out show at Irving Plaza.
“We were definitely [into] the nocturnal side of New York City,” says Key, who also plays guitar. “We spent more time watching the sun come up than go down.”
Since neither Key nor Mosely knew people in the city, they spent seven months making friends and hanging out at bars like Black & White and Niagra, listening to New Yorkers talk about their lives.
“This was the first time where I moved [to another city] and was like, ‘I’m on my own, I gotta forge my own path here,'” says Key, 25. “I think that had a lot to do with my own maturing and growing as a lyricist – I had more adult experiences in New York than I ever had before.”
Asked to elaborate on what those experiences might have been, he demurs with a laugh, saying, “I don’t really want to get too much into it. [But] we just really enjoyed that different nightlife. It was a different social environment than we’ve ever been in.”
While Key and Mosely’s personal New York adventures didn’t find their way into any specific songs on the record, the notion of growing up certainly did.
Instead of tales of heartbreak and other teen fixations, “Lights and Sounds” includes a fictional story about a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq before his 20th birthday and a song sung to an unborn child – featuring a 25-piece orchestra conducted by band violinist Sean Mackin.
First known as “that pop-punk band with the violinist” when they hit the scene in 2003, Yellowcard is trying to shake that gimmicky mantle.
“One of the most important things about this record was that we challenged [our fans] – especially the younger ones – to listen to something they maybe weren’t expecting,” says Key.
“All we can hope for is that they come in with an open mind and that they’re excited to hear the new sound and new music. But if not, that’s fine too. That’s what music and art is all about, I think.”
