| Release Date: | 091523 |
| Currently: | In stock (3) |
| Please note: | Shipping and In-Store pickup Options are Available at Checkout. |
Delayed: September 15th 2023.
Childhood Eyes is a revitalization of the band’s classic sound. It possesses the energy and tightness of albums like Paper Walls and Southern Air, marking the first time since Longineu Parsons' departure in 2014 that Yellowcard doesn't feel held back by a lack of firepower. A lot of this has to do with Nate Young (of fellow Equal Vision Records signee Anberlin) ratcheting up the pace, but it also appears that all the years off have afforded Yellowcard a chance to retool their approach. Whether it’s subtle electronic flourishes, faster vocal delivery, or just a whole lot more Ryan Mendez, they’ve learned how to better fill the space that used to be comprised of Parsons' dynamic drum fills. This is perhaps most evident on opener "Three Minutes More", which features a breakneck pace along with the intertwined vocals of Ryan Key and Pierce the Veil's Vic Fuentes. "Overgrown overpasses remain / Blow it up, burn it down, be the change" operates as a mission statement, demonstrating just how much energy Yellowcard still has left in the tank while making for a spirited, highly entertaining reintroduction to the band.
The title track arrives on its heels like a summer breeze, anchored by an earworm chorus and pointedly clever verses: "If only I was the drug you did, stuck in a vein in your arm / Thеn maybe you would've stuck around, just like thе addict you are." Themes of pain and addiction, as well as Key's ability to effortlessly mold them into relationship metaphors, hark back to the band's earliest days, thus making the song title rather fitting. The lyrics speak to how life batters us into submission and how sometimes viewing things through "childhood eyes" simply means experiencing love and life to its fullest: "Am I the only one who isn't dead inside? / Maybe you're jaded, maybe you're blind / Am I the only one watching with childhood eyes?" It’s got the same emotional-warmth-in-the-face-of-cynicism as a song like ‘Back Home’, only whereas that track suffered through unrequited love, "Childhood Eyes" boasts: "I am the love you need." It's the perfect way to kick off another Yellowcard renaissance: brimming with nostalgia, very much rooted in the present, and illustrative of the personal growth that occurred in-between.