{ "id": "ep8r61kmg4", "slug": "better-days-yellowcard-album", "title": "Better Days (Yellowcard album)", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.music", "label": "Music", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music" }, { "id": "culture.music.works", "label": "Musical works and recordings", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.works" }, { "id": "culture.music.works.recordings", "label": "Albums and recorded releases", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.works.recordings" }, { "id": "culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums", "label": "Studio albums", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums" }, { "id": "culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.punk-and-emo-albums", "label": "Punk and emo albums", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.punk-and-emo-albums" }, { "id": "culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.punk-and-emo-albums.pop-punk-albums", "label": "Pop punk albums", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.punk-and-emo-albums.pop-punk-albums" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: Studio albums", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music", "label": "Music", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music.works", "label": "Musical works and recordings", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music.works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music.works.recordings", "label": "Albums and recorded releases", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music.works.recordings" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums", "label": "Studio albums", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Better Days is Yellowcard's eleventh studio album, released October 10, 2025 on Better Noise Music, produced by Travis Barker with Andrew Goldstein and Nick Long; guests Avril Lavigne and Matt Skiba; first full-length since the 2016 split.", "snippet": "Better Days is Yellowcard's eleventh studio album, released October 10, 2025 on Better Noise Music, produced by Travis Barker with Andrew Goldstein and Nick Long; guests Avril Lavigne and Matt Skiba; first full-length since the 2016 split.", "node": "culture.music.works.recordings.studio_albums.punk-and-emo-albums.pop-punk-albums", "markdown": "# Better Days (Yellowcard album)\n\n**Better Days** is the eleventh studio album by the American pop-punk band [Yellowcard](https://www.edgepedia.org/yellowcard), released on October 10, 2025 through Better Noise Music. Produced by blink-182 drummer [Travis Barker](https://www.edgepedia.org/travis-barker), who also plays drums on the record, it is the band's first full-length album of new material since reuniting, and their first album in nine years.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990) • [2](https://alreadyheard.com/review-yellowcard-better-days/) • [3](https://dailycampus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/OCT-13-COMBINED.pdf)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Artist / album | Yellowcard, eleventh studio album[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990) |\n| Released | October 10, 2025, Better Noise Music[2](https://alreadyheard.com/review-yellowcard-better-days/) |\n| Length / tracks | 31:40, 10 songs[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990) |\n| Production | Travis Barker (drums and production), with co-producers Andrew Goldstein and Nick Long[4](https://music.apple.com/us/album/better-days/1810791073) |\n| Guests | Avril Lavigne on \"You Broke Me Too\"; Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio on \"Love Letters Lost\"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990) |\n| Preceded by | Childhood Eyes EP (2023) and the 2024 Hammock collaboration A Hopeful Sign[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990) |\n| Band lineup | Ryan Key (vocals, guitar), Sean Mackin (violin, vocals), Ryan Mendez (guitar), Josh Portman (bass)[5](https://www.plattensprung.de/reviews/yellowcard-und-better-days-erinnerungen-bessere-zeiten-42019) |\n\n## Background\n\nYellowcard, the Florida band best known for the 2003 hit album and song *Ocean Avenue*, broke up in 2016 and reunited in 2022.[5](https://www.plattensprung.de/reviews/yellowcard-und-better-days-erinnerungen-bessere-zeiten-42019) According to an account of the band's history published around the album's release, the members had not spoken to each other during the years after the split; a 2022 invitation to Riot Fest, built around the twentieth anniversary of *Ocean Avenue*, brought them back together, and the 2023 anniversary tour that followed turned out to be the most successful tour of their career.[5](https://www.plattensprung.de/reviews/yellowcard-und-better-days-erinnerungen-bessere-zeiten-42019) After that tour, the band faced the choice of walking away on a positive note or returning to the studio; violinist Sean Mackin described a sense of not wanting to say \"let's hang it up,\" and the band decided to record again.[4](https://music.apple.com/us/album/better-days/1810791073)\n\nBefore the album, the band released the *Childhood Eyes* EP in 2023 and, in 2024, *A Hopeful Sign*, a collaboration with the ambient artist Hammock that reworked some of their best-known songs with an atmospheric electronic treatment.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990)\n\n## Production and songwriting\n\n**Outside writers.** For the first time in the band's career, Yellowcard brought in outside co-writers, all musicians they had known for years rather than pop topliners.[4](https://music.apple.com/us/album/better-days/1810791073) Nick Long, who had played with guitarist Ryan Mendez in the California skate-punk band Staring Back and had written for [King Princess](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-princess) and mgk, and Andrew Goldstein, a former member of The Friday Night Boys who had written for [Tate McRae](https://www.edgepedia.org/tate-mcrae) and The Band CAMINO, co-wrote the album and co-produced it alongside Travis Barker.[4](https://music.apple.com/us/album/better-days/1810791073) Barker, the blink-182 drummer, plays drums across the album and handles production; the two bands had shared pop-punk billing for years but had never worked together before.[4](https://music.apple.com/us/album/better-days/1810791073) • [6](https://deadcentremedia.com/2026/09/19/yellowcard-better-days-deluxe-review-a-farewell-that-refused-to-be-final/)\n\nThe stated aim was a modernized version of the band's core sound. AllMusic's review describes songs that feel connected to the band's early pop-punk while hitting emotional tones suited to a group now in their forties.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990) Sputnikmusic called it \"a sleek, glistening, shining pop-punk record which rounds up Yellowcard's core essence and makes it sound grander than ever.\"[7](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/90203/Yellowcard-Better-Days/) Critics repeatedly noted Barker's influence on the sound: the German magazine VISIONS wrote that with Barker at the kit nothing rumbles or jolts, and Distorted Sound Magazine judged that his beats fill every gap but slightly overshadow the band's own sound, making parts of the record resemble blink-182.[8](https://www.visions.de/review/yellowcard-better-days/) • [9](https://distortedsoundmag.com/album-review-better-days-yellowcard/) A Dead Centre Media review of the deluxe edition judged that Barker's production gives the songs \"a sharp, modern punch\" while Key's voice and Mackin's violin keep the result unmistakably Yellowcard.[6](https://deadcentremedia.com/2026/09/19/yellowcard-better-days-deluxe-review-a-farewell-that-refused-to-be-final/)\n\n## Songs and themes\n\nThe album opens with its title track, a hooky anthem about overcoming self-sabotage and feeling stuck in life.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990) Recurring themes are looking back at the past while trying to move forward: \"Bedroom Posters\" carries the line \"Tear down my bedroom posters / Don't say those days are over,\" and \"Big Blue Eyes,\" an acoustic song closing the album, is a ballad Key wrote about the joys of fatherhood, dedicated to his son.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990) • [8](https://www.visions.de/review/yellowcard-better-days/) \"Honestly I\" and \"Skin Scraped\" are driving, guitar-led anthems framing Key's vocals; \"Skin Scraped\" addresses the band's own fragile internal relationships after years of chaos and separation.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990) • [5](https://www.plattensprung.de/reviews/yellowcard-und-better-days-erinnerungen-bessere-zeiten-42019)\n\nTwo tracks depart from the energetic norm. \"City of Angels\" is a pulsating, synth-led piece tinged with regret, which VISIONS compared to a Postal Service B-side, and \"You Broke Me Too,\" a mid-album power ballad, is a duet with [Avril Lavigne](https://www.edgepedia.org/avril-lavigne).[2](https://alreadyheard.com/review-yellowcard-better-days/) • [8](https://www.visions.de/review/yellowcard-better-days/) Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio guests on \"Love Letters Lost,\" though VISIONS found his part pale next to Lavigne's contribution.[8](https://www.visions.de/review/yellowcard-better-days/) \"Barely Alive\" was singled out by Already Heard as the band at their emotional peak, with a tender build to a lush conclusion.[2](https://alreadyheard.com/review-yellowcard-better-days/)\n\nA deluxe edition of the album was later released, with Apple Music listing versions of 13 and 14 songs against the original 10.[4](https://music.apple.com/us/album/better-days/1810791073)\n\n## Reception\n\nProfessional reviews were broadly favorable but not uniform. AllMusic praised the band's ability to \"still believably conjure the yearning, throaty energy of their best work.\"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990) VISIONS scored it 7 out of 12, calling the record competent but frictionless, with little room for experiment outside \"City of Angels.\"[8](https://www.visions.de/review/yellowcard-better-days/) The German site Plattensprung gave it a 6, arguing that the production had polished away much of what characterizes the band, though its own comment section pushed back, with long-time fans defending the return to the 2003 to 2012 core sound.[5](https://www.plattensprung.de/reviews/yellowcard-und-better-days-erinnerungen-bessere-zeiten-42019) The gatekeep! review found the band's talent shining through on \"Skin Scraped\" and \"honestly i\" while concluding that the presentation often undermines the emotional weight of Key's lyrics.[10](https://www.gatekeepmusic.com/p/review-yellowcard-better-days) The student paper DailyCampus called the album \"a grower\" but a listenable entry in the contemporary pop-punk scene.[3](https://dailycampus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/OCT-13-COMBINED.pdf)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Yellowcard: Better Days Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic (Matt Collar)](https://www.allmusic.com/album/better-days-mw0004557990)\n2. [Review: Yellowcard - Better Days, Already Heard (Sêan Reid, October 10, 2025)](https://alreadyheard.com/review-yellowcard-better-days/)\n3. [DailyCampus.com, Monday, October 13, 2025](https://dailycampus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/OCT-13-COMBINED.pdf)\n4. [Better Days - Album by Yellowcard, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/better-days/1810791073)\n5. [Yellowcard und \"Better Days\": Erinnerungen an bessere Zeiten, Plattensprung (Nataly Sesic, October 21, 2025)](https://www.plattensprung.de/reviews/yellowcard-und-better-days-erinnerungen-bessere-zeiten-42019)\n6. [Yellowcard - 'Better Days (Deluxe)' Review, Dead Centre Media (September 19, 2026)](https://deadcentremedia.com/2026/09/19/yellowcard-better-days-deluxe-review-a-farewell-that-refused-to-be-final/)\n7. [Review: Yellowcard - Better Days, Sputnikmusic](https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/90203/Yellowcard-Better-Days/)\n8. [Yellowcard: Better Days (Review), VISIONS (Florian Zandt, issue 391)](https://www.visions.de/review/yellowcard-better-days/)\n9. [ALBUM REVIEW: Better Days - Yellowcard, Distorted Sound Magazine](https://distortedsoundmag.com/album-review-better-days-yellowcard/)\n10. [REVIEW: Yellowcard - Better Days, gatekeep! (jesper)](https://www.gatekeepmusic.com/p/review-yellowcard-better-days)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Punk and emo albums › Pop punk albums*\n\n*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/better-days-yellowcard-album", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/better-days-yellowcard-album.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Better Days (Yellowcard album)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/better-days-yellowcard-album. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Better Days (Yellowcard album)](https://www.edgepedia.org/better-days-yellowcard-album)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/better-days-yellowcard-album](https://www.edgepedia.org/better-days-yellowcard-album). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Better Days (Yellowcard album)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/better-days-yellowcard-album. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Better Days is Yellowcard's eleventh studio album, released October 10, 2025 on Better Noise Music, produced by Travis Barker with Andrew Goldstein and Nick Long; guests Avril Lavigne and Matt Skiba; first full-length since the 2016 split." }