13 September 2011
Ryan Key is feeling the full weight of his return from hiatus. Although Key has spent the past six months touring a comeback album, he still feels the need to remind himself of the axiomatic challenge ahead. The Yellowcard frontman and vocalist is a realist.
“We’re not hiding it, we’re not ashamed to talk about how much work we have to do,” he says. “It’s a steep uphill climb to go from here and this record is just the first step.” When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes is the seventh album from the Florida five-piece and their first in three years. After a tumultuous 2007 of obligatory tours, internal disputes and the slow ebbing of label reps, the band announced an ‘indefinite hiatus.’
“We were at a place where we just felt we weren’t doing anybody any good by being together,” says Key, 32. “We felt we needed to put everything back for a little while. “There was plenty of internal stuff going on too, it was all just not good. Everyone was exhausted, we were at each others throats all the time because everyone was frustrated with the way things were going; we decided we couldn’t do it anymore.”
The band’s ex-label Capitol Records cemented the decision when the bulk of their A&R team jumped ship for various other labels and projects. “We watched the record company really fall apart around us,” he says. “We just knew it wasn’t right.”
Today, Yellowcard is back on the indie route having made their comeback with Hopeless Records in 2010 after the first band meeting in over two years at the LA home of manager Missy Worth. With the addition of Key-propounded bassist/ vocalist Sean O’Donnell, Yellowcard can now count themselves amongst the few bands to return from a self- imposed hiatus in better form than when they left (ala Blink 182).
“We’re not hiding it, we’re not ashamed to talk about how much work we have to do,” he says. “It’s a steep uphill climb to go from here and this record is just the first step.” When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes is the seventh album from the Florida five-piece and their first in three years. After a tumultuous 2007 of obligatory tours, internal disputes and the slow ebbing of label reps, the band announced an ‘indefinite hiatus.’
“We were at a place where we just felt we weren’t doing anybody any good by being together,” says Key, 32. “We felt we needed to put everything back for a little while. “There was plenty of internal stuff going on too, it was all just not good. Everyone was exhausted, we were at each others throats all the time because everyone was frustrated with the way things were going; we decided we couldn’t do it anymore.”
The band’s ex-label Capitol Records cemented the decision when the bulk of their A&R team jumped ship for various other labels and projects. “We watched the record company really fall apart around us,” he says. “We just knew it wasn’t right.”
Today, Yellowcard is back on the indie route having made their comeback with Hopeless Records in 2010 after the first band meeting in over two years at the LA home of manager Missy Worth. With the addition of Key-propounded bassist/ vocalist Sean O’Donnell, Yellowcard can now count themselves amongst the few bands to return from a self- imposed hiatus in better form than when they left (ala Blink 182).
“As sad as the place we were in, in 2008 was, we’re in a really awesome place now,” says Key. While 2003’s breakthrough record,Ocean Avenue has proven a difficult height to meet, the band are currently engaged in the first of two world tours; Key is prepared to regain each fan, one gig at a time.
“The fans are slowly coming back but it’s going to take some time for us to find them all again. That’s why we’re touring so hard. We did lose momentum but I think we’re now gaining it back.”
It could have been an entirely vacuous idea to throw themselves straight back into the same routine that triggered their need for a break, but Key says his recharged batteries made him realise the need to do things differently. “Everything got so big so fast and we were just being dragged around the world everyday, it was crazy,” Key recalls, before explaining the band’s new touring tactic of longer breathers between treks. “I think that’s going to help a lot, and also being on Hopeless Records and not on Capitol.”
Although a hiatus brings with it many detrimental elements for the band’s career, the task of recovering fans along with their original sound is a drop in the ocean compared to the mess Yellowcard would have made if they were to continue working back in 2008.
“It really recharged our batteries as a band,” he says. We now wake up everyday and go through everyday just trying to make everything the best we can make it, every show, everything we’re doing right now is to make sure we’re the best version of the band that we’ve ever been.”
Yellowcard’s 14-year career has not only given them the smarts to know when to quit while they’re ahead, but also to look upon the future with pragmatic eyes. “I would love for our band to retain that level of success someday but we’re working smarter now and we won’t burn the candle at both ends this time.”
“The fans are slowly coming back but it’s going to take some time for us to find them all again. That’s why we’re touring so hard. We did lose momentum but I think we’re now gaining it back.”
It could have been an entirely vacuous idea to throw themselves straight back into the same routine that triggered their need for a break, but Key says his recharged batteries made him realise the need to do things differently. “Everything got so big so fast and we were just being dragged around the world everyday, it was crazy,” Key recalls, before explaining the band’s new touring tactic of longer breathers between treks. “I think that’s going to help a lot, and also being on Hopeless Records and not on Capitol.”
Although a hiatus brings with it many detrimental elements for the band’s career, the task of recovering fans along with their original sound is a drop in the ocean compared to the mess Yellowcard would have made if they were to continue working back in 2008.
“It really recharged our batteries as a band,” he says. We now wake up everyday and go through everyday just trying to make everything the best we can make it, every show, everything we’re doing right now is to make sure we’re the best version of the band that we’ve ever been.”
Yellowcard’s 14-year career has not only given them the smarts to know when to quit while they’re ahead, but also to look upon the future with pragmatic eyes. “I would love for our band to retain that level of success someday but we’re working smarter now and we won’t burn the candle at both ends this time.”
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