In a way, it’s fitting that Yellowcard would announce their farewell on the first week of summer – forever a band that epitomized the joy and wonder of the season. With the release of a self-titled album on September 30, followed by one last tour, Yellowcard will sail away into the night, leaving a large hole in the heart of the pop punk scene.

Like so many of Yellowcard’s followers, I was introduced to the band in 2003 when a friend purchased Ocean Avenue for me; a gift I’ll forever be thankful for. That album, an aching reminder of a past left behind, carried me through the early years of my college experience as I left home and started a new life. But it didn’t stop there – for over a decade, the band has offered a soundtrack to my own personal journey.

That’s what makes this goodbye so hard to swallow. Since their career took off, Yellowcard hasn’t released a “bad” album (we can argue about Lights and Sounds another time). In fact, each one spoke to a unique stage of life. Paper Walls dealt with friendships fractured by time, When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes pondered the confusion of youth from afar, Southern Air stressed the importance of finding home, and Lift a Sail told a story of hope amidst pain. It stands to reason that the upcoming Yellowcard will serve as a fitting bookend.

Aside from their overall proficiency, Yellowcard also served as a unifying voice within the pop punk scene – a band so unique and so driven that it pushed everyone around them to greater heights. The band’s first hiatus in 2008 felt like a gut punch, leaving a mark that never quite left until the band’s celebrated return in 2011. Sean Mackin’s violin intro to “For You, and Your Denial”, the first single upon the band’s reappearance, felt like the freshest breath of air imaginable and reignited a scene that was ready to explode again.

So here we are, with one last summer to soak it all in. Yellowcard will spend the season on the Vans Warped Tour, giving us all one last dose of pop punk sunshine before the official farewell commences. Yet even as we sing along under the oppressive heat in parking lots, open fields and amphitheaters across the country this summer, we’ll know that although the band may leave, the music stays. This won’t be the last time that Ocean Avenue graces my car speakers during a road trip or serves as the soundtrack to a late summer night with best friends. Not by a long shot.

Read the band’s farewell and pre-order Yellowcard here.

Farewell Tour Dates:

Oct. 6 San Antonio, TX The Aztec Theater
Oct. 7 Austin, TX Scoot Inn
Oct. 8 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Bar N’ Grill
Oct. 9 Houston, TX House of Blues
Oct. 11 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
Oct. 12 Tempe, AZ The Marquee Theatre
Oct. 14 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl
Oct. 15 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
Oct. 16 San Diego, CA House of Blues
Oct. 18 Los Angeles, CA The NOVO
Oct. 19 Ventura, CA Majestic Ventura Theater
Oct. 21 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst
Oct. 22 San Francisco, CA The Regency Ballroom
Oct. 23 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades
Oct. 25 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
Oct. 26 Seattle, WA The Showbox
Oct. 28 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
Oct. 29 Denver, CO Summit Music Hall
Oct. 31 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
Nov. 2 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
Nov. 3 Chicago, IL House of Blues
Nov. 4 Chicago, IL House of Blues
Nov. 5 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit
Nov. 7 Boston, MA House of Blues
Nov. 9 New York, NY PlayStation Theater
Nov. 11 Huntington, NY The Paramount
Nov. 12 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Nov. 13 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
Nov. 15 Baltimore, MD Baltimore Soundstage
Nov. 17 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore Charlotte
Nov. 18 Jacksonville, FL Mavericks at The Landing
Nov. 19 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade – Heaven Stage
Nov. 20 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution Live
Nov. 22 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues

by Kiel Hauck

Kiel Hauck is the editor in chief at It’s All Dead. Over the past decade, he has been a contributor for multiple online and print publications and was most recently an editor at PopMatters. Kiel currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and their imaginary pet, Hand Dog. You can follow him on Twitter.