It took them a few albums (and some significant member changes) to find their sound, but Ocean Avenue made Yellowcard into the pop-punk stars they had always aimed to be. Armed with major label backing, the novel inclusion of Sean Mackin’s violin, and the biggest songs of their career to that point, Ocean Avenue eclipses all of the band’s previous material to the point where many people still think it’s their debut album.
By far the band’s most successful album, it’s sold almost 2 million copies in the USA alone. And it’s not hard to notice why. The album’s sunny title track is one of the bigger pop-punk songs of the era, where it went double Platinum – and energetic lead single “Way Away” made its way into Madden 2004’s soundtrack.
Armed with one of the strongest drummers of the genre in Longineu Parsons, his energy and style elevates average songs into solid tracks with a clear identity. Meanwhile, vocalist/guitarist Ryan Key will always be one of the most distinct frontmen of the genre. Always knowing when to dial it back (“Empty Apartment”, “View From Heaven”) and when to push things forward (the 9/11 heroes tribute “Believe”, “Way Away”), it’s sort of a microcosm of Yellowcard’s songwriting here as a whole. Amazingly, some of Yellowcard’s best material was still to come – but on Ocean Avenue is where they built a strong foundation.
