Southern Air
Studio album by
Yellowcard
ReleasedAugust 14, 2012 (2012-08-14)
RecordedMarch–April 2012
StudioEast West Recording, The Casita
GenrePop punk[1]
Length39:24
LabelHopeless
ProducerNeal Avron
Yellowcard chronology
When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes
(2011)		 Southern Air
(2012)		 Ocean Avenue Acoustic
(2013)
Singles from Southern Air
  1. "Always Summer"
    Released: May 22, 2012[2]
  2. "Here I Am Alive"
    Released: July 17, 2012[3]
  3. "Awakening"
    Released: December 10, 2012

Southern Air is the eighth studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. It was released on August 14, 2012 through Hopeless Records. The songs "Always Summer" and "Here I Am Alive" were released as singles, the latter featuring Taylor Jardine of We Are the In Crowd. The album also features guest appearances by Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low and American recording artist Cassadee Pope.[4] It debuted at #10 on the US Billboard 200, their highest-charting appearance since Lights and Sounds debuted at #5 in 2006. It is the last studio album to feature founding drummer Longineu W. Parsons III.[5]

Background and recording

Yellowcard began writing and recording early in 2012, shortly after the touring cycle for When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes (2011). The overall positive energy the band had generated was inspiration to begin writing again. On February 3, it was announced that bassist Sean O'Donnell left the band to focus on his upcoming family.[6] On February 10, Ryan Key posted that they were demoing new material.[7] On February 17, Josh Portman was announced as the new bass player.[8] Three days later, the band posted a studio update video.[9] On March 2, it was announced that they had finished demoing.[10] Following an appearance at Musink festival,[11] the band began recording their next album on March 5.[12] Sessions were held at East West Recording Studios, and The Casita, with producer Neal Avron. Him and Erich Talaba handled recording; they were assisted by Brendan Dekora at East West. Avron mixed the recordings with assistance from Nicolas Fournier, before Ted Jensen mastered the album at Sterling Sound.[13] On March 29, All Time Low vocalist Alex Gaskarth recorded guest vocals.[14] On April 8, the band announced they had finished recording.[15] Other Guest vocalists on the album include Cassadee Pope of Hey Monday and Tay Jardine of We Are the In Crowd.

Release

"Always Summer" was released as a single on May 22, 2012.[16] The following day, a lyric video was released for the track.[17] At the end of May, the band were filming a music video for the song.[18] On June 12, Southern Air was announced for release in August. In addition, the album's track listing and artwork were revealed.[19] The music video for "Always Summer" was posted online on June 20.[20] On July 11, "Awakening" was made available for streaming.[21] "Here I Am Alive" was made available for streaming on July 30.[22] "Here I Am Alive" was released July 31 as the second single. On August 1, a lyric video was released for the song.[23]

Southern Air was made available for streaming on August 7,[24] before being released on August 14 through Hopeless Records.[19] On the same day, a music video for "Here I Am Alive" premiered on MTV.[25] In November and December, the band went on a headlining tour of the US with support from The Wonder Years and We Are the In Crowd.[26] On December 10, a music video was released for "Awakening".[27] In January 2013, the band went on a co-headlining North America tour with All Time Low.[28] Following this, the band went on European tour with support from the Blackout, Set It Off and Like Torches.[29][30]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[31]
Sputnikmusic[32]
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk95%[1]
AllMusic[33]
Alter the Press![4]
Melodic [34]

Reception to the album has been positive. Most reviewers have commented on the bands maturity of their musicianship, and the strong lyrical content. At Metacritic, which assigns an average rating out of 100 from mainstream critics, Southern Air received a score of 83, indicating universal acclaim.[31] In addition, Thomas Nassiff at AbsolutePunk.net lauded that the album "is the best pop-punk album of 2012, and it’s a veteran band putting on a clinic for everyone to listen."[1] Alter The Press named Southern Air the best album of 2012, citing that "the band have poured their hearts into Southern Air and there is a tangible sense of passion behind each track."[35]

The album debuted at #10 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first week sales of 23,000 copies in the United States, making it their second-highest debut, behind their 2006 release, Lights and Sounds, which peaked at #5.[36]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Ryan Key except where noted; all music is composed by Key, Sean Mackin, Ryan Mendez, and Longineu W. Parsons III except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Awakening"4:24
2."Surface of the Sun"3:44
3."Always Summer"3:10
4."Here I Am Alive" (feat. Taylor Jardine, lyrics written by Ryan Key and Patrick Stump)3:33
5."Sleep in the Snow"4:03
6."A Vicious Kind"3:53
7."Telescope"3:53
8."Rivertown Blues"3:34
9."Ten"4:47
10."Southern Air"4:23
Total length:39:24
iTunes bonus track[37]
No.TitleLength
11."Fix You" (written by Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion; originally performed by Coldplay)4:49
Japanese bonus tracks[38]
No.TitleLength
11."Always Summer (Acoustic)"3:15
12."Telescope (Acoustic)"3:58

Personnel

Personnel per booklet.[13]

Chart performance

Chart (2012) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[40] 10
US Billboard Rock Albums[41] 2
US Billboard Alternative Albums[41] 2
US Billboard Independent Albums[42] 2
US Billboard Vinyl Albums[43] 2

References

  1. 1 2 3 Thomas Nassiff (August 13, 2012). "Yellowcard - Southern Air - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  2. ↑ "iTunes Store". itunes.apple.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  3. ↑ "iTunes Store". itunes.apple.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "ATP! Album Review: Yellowcard - Southern Air". Alter The Press!. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Yellowcard Say Goodbye To Longtime Drummer Longineu Parsons". MTV.com. March 13, 2014. Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  6. ↑ Yancey, Bryne (February 3, 2012). "Bassist Sean O'Donnell leaves Yellowcard". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on March 22, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  7. ↑ Yancey, Bryne (February 10, 2012). "Yellowcard demoing new music". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  8. ↑ Colwell, Matthew (February 17, 2012). "Yellowcard announce new bassist". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on April 4, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  9. ↑ Yancey, Bryne (February 20, 2012). "Yellowcard post video update from the studio". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  10. ↑ Yancey, Bryne (March 2, 2012). "Yellowcard finished demoing, will begin tracking new album Monday". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  11. ↑ Yancey, Bryne (February 15, 2012). "New Found Glory, Bayside, Yellowcard announced for Musink 2012". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  12. ↑ Yancey, Bryne (March 5, 2012). "Yellowcard tracking new album". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  13. 1 2 Southern Air (booklet). Yellowcard. Hopeless Records. 2012. HR758-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ↑ Yancey, Bryne (March 29, 2012). "Alex Gaskarth (All Time Low) to appear on new Yellowcard album". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  15. ↑ Yancey, Bryne (April 9, 2012). "Yellowcard complete new album". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on April 12, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  16. ↑ Common, Tyler (May 16, 2012). "Yellowcard to release new single "Always Summer"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on July 1, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  17. ↑ Bird, Michele (May 23, 2012). "Yellowcard release "Always Summer" lyric video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  18. ↑ Yancey, Bryne (May 30, 2012). "Yellowcard shooting "Always Summer" video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  19. 1 2 Colwell, Matthew (June 12, 2012). "Yellowcard announce new album 'Southern Air'". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on November 18, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  20. ↑ Colwell, Matthew (June 20, 2012). "Yellowcard release "Always Summer" video, launch album pre-orders". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  21. ↑ Common, Tyler (July 11, 2012). "Yellowcard release new song, "Awakening"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  22. ↑ Whitt, Cassie (July 30, 2012). "Yellowcard premiere "Here I Am Alive" featuring Tay Jardine (We Are The In Crowd)". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  23. ↑ Bird, Michele (August 1, 2012). "Yellowcard release "Here I Am Alive" lyric video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  24. ↑ Colwell, Matthew (August 7, 2012). "Yellowcard stream new album 'Southern Air'". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on November 14, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  25. ↑ Bird, Michele (August 10, 2012). "Yellowcard to release "Here I Am Alive" video next week". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  26. ↑ Whitt, Cassie (July 30, 2012). "Yellowcard, The Wonder Years and We Are The In Crowd tour dates announced". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 10, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  27. ↑ Bird, Michele (December 10, 2012). "Yellowcard release "Awakening" video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  28. ↑ Whitt, Cassie (October 16, 2012). "All Time Low and Yellowcard announce co-headlining U.S. and Canadian tour". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  29. ↑ Whitt, Cassie (October 22, 2012). "Yellowcard announce 2013 European Tour dates". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Set It Off to join Yellowcard on tour in Europe". Equal Vision Records. September 18, 2012. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  31. 1 2 "Metacritic YC". Metacritic. August 14, 2012. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2012.
  32. ↑ "Review: Yellowcard - Southern Air". Sputnikmusic. August 10, 2012. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  33. ↑ Matt Collar (August 13, 2012). "Southern Air - Yellowcard | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  34. ↑ Holmgren, Henrik (November 9, 2012). "Yellowcard - Southern Air". Melodic. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  35. ↑ "ATP! 2012: Albums Of The Year". Alter The Press!. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Yellowcard New Album "Southern Air" Debuts At #10 On Billboard 200". Alter The Press!. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  37. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Southern Air by Yellowcard". iTunes. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  38. ↑ "Download flac Yellowcard - Southern Air (Japan Edition) Lossless music format image + .cue". Flac-lossless.net. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  39. ↑ url="Ryan Mendez auf Twitter: "@ATL4Ever69 About a month of writing, 5 weeks of tracking. Most difficult album I've ever made, partially because I played bass as well."". Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  40. ↑ "2 Chainz Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard. November 26, 2011. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  41. 1 2 "Yellowcard's "Southern Air" Debuts at #10 on Billboard Top 200!". Hopeless Records. August 14, 2012. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  42. ↑ "Yellowcard - Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Vinyl Albums : September 1, 2012". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
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