After celebrating their 2023 return EP Childhood Eyes with a Good Morning America performance of “The Places We’ll Go” alongside songstress Cassadee Pope earlier this week, Yellowcard is celebrating their legacy with a collaborative album with Hammock titled A Hopeful Sign. Marking the announcement of the collaborative release, which is set to arrive on February 9 via Equal Vision Records, Yellowcard has issued a freshly spun rendition of the group’s smash hit single, “Ocean Avenue.”
In contrast to the energetic and fast-paced urgency of the original release, the collaborative version presents a more tranquil and dreamy ambiance brought to life by its full-bodied, vulnerable, and emotional presentation. Initially a pop-punk hit, this rendition invites the listener to reflect on the lyrics, harmonizing seamlessly with the piano-laden instrumentation, thus transforming the banger into a heartfelt ballad.
“For each of these songs, I just sent over a lead vocal and a piano, and Hammock reinvented these songs in [a] way that only they could do,” vocalist/guitarist Ryan Key shares of the collaborative album via a press release.
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He continues, “Yellowcard is in a new place where we are collaborating with other artists more than ever before. I have found Hammock in my top three most-played artists every year for nearly a decade now. Hammock are one of the defining and most pioneering artists in the post-rock and ambient space. We have taken so much inspiration from their work over the years so first becoming friends, and then unexpectedly getting to work together on new music were dreams come true.”
“In reality… our music is pure emo, if by emo we mean ‘very emotional,’” Marc Byrd of Hammock shares. “As so many of our listeners have said, ‘Hammock have all the feels.’ Hearing these songs stripped back and laid bare was a great experience. Whatever emo is… whoever Yellowcard and Hammock are supposed to be… at the end of the day, we’re just hoping the music can bring a lump in the throat, an ache in the chest, or an elevation of spirit. If the music is really good, it can do it all at the same time. That’s the mystery. So whether we call it emo or just good music, the window dressing and descriptions mean nothing and serve only to distract if the music doesn’t stir the soul. Cheers to Yellowcard for asking us to come along and join the ride.”
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Key reflects on the nine-track album with disbelief, emphasizing how special it has been for Yellowcard to collaborate with a band that has had such an impact on them. “Whether it is one of our well-known songs or a deeper cut, these versions bring with them completely new interpretations and meanings for listeners who have lived with them for so many years. During the six years that Yellowcard was apart, I was constantly searching for ways to continue my career as a musician and producer. I had the idea to basically do Yellowcard covers featuring friends and artists I’ve had the pleasure of knowing throughout my career. The first artist to reply and complete a collaboration was Hammock with their reworked version of ‘Empty Street.’”
Check out the full tracklist details for A Hopeful Sign below and presave it here.
A Hopeful Sign Tracklisting:
Empty Street (from 2016’s Yellowcard)
Southern Air (from 2012’s Southern Air)
Ocean Avenue (from 2003’s Ocean Avenue)
Telescope (from 2012’s Southern Air)
You And Me And One Spotlight (from 2007’s Paper Walls)
Waiting Game (from 2006’s Lights And Sounds)
Only One (from 2003’s Ocean Avenue)
A Place We Set Afire (from 2016’s Yellowcard)Transmission Home (from 2014’s Lift A Sail)
Later this year, Yellowcard is set to embark on a summer tour to support Third Eye Blind along with A R I Z O N A. Tickets for the tour, which kicks off on June 8, are available here.
Summer Gods Tour Dates:
- June 8—Spokane, WA @ BECU Live at Northern Quest
- June 9—Nampa, ID @ Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater
- June 13—Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater
- June 14—Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater
- June 15—Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
- June 20—Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
- June 21—Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
- June 22—Las Vegas, NV @ Fontainebleau Las Vegas
- June 25—West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
- June 26—Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
- June 28—Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
- June 29—St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
- June 30—Franklin, TN @ FirstBank Amphitheater
- July 2—Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
- July 3—Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
- July 5—Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
- July 6—Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
- July 7—Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
- July 9—Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake
- July 11—Gilford, NH @ BankNH Pavilion
- July 12—Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
- July 13—Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
- July 14—Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
- July 16—Saratoga Springs, NY @ Broadview Stage at SPAC
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- July 18—Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
- July 19—Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
- July 20—Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
- July 21—Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
- July 23—Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
- July 25—Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
- July 26—Jacksonville, FL @ VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
- July 27—Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
- July 28—Birmingham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
- July 31—Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
- Aug. 1—Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
- Aug. 2—Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
- Aug. 3—Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
