Enter the comeback kids

MANILA, Philippines - Say whatever you want about Yellowcard, but you can’t deny that it takes real cojones to take a two-year break with a throng of fans eagerly waiting a new song to come out. Yet they do it, with undeniable panache at that.

This five-piece outfit has finally come back with “When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes,” a pseudo-love letter to their raw indie beginnings. If their first single, For You, and Your Denial, is any indication of the rest of this album, Yellowcard is now light years away from their “Ocean Avenue” days, but retains just a smear of the boyishness that has always made them so damn charming. Young Star was lucky enough to speak with lead vocalist Ryan Key about their new album, the fringe benefits of music piracy, and getting splashed with a cold bucket of water.

YOUNG STAR: What made you realize it was time to produce a new record?

RYAN KEY: There’s no real way to pinpoint it. We just had the right amount of time off, and the right phone call came in, we all ended up talking about it, and it just worked out.

What do you think of releasing music via the Internet?

If anything, it’s a good way to get people to buy music again. I hate talking about it and sounding like I’m in it for the money, but it is nice to know all the hard work we do on the songs and the records that we make, that people are supporting us. I think that being able to release singles and records through places like iTunes and Amazon is getting people to buy music again, because it’s so fast and convenient. Like, we sold almost 30,000 singles in the first week here in the States with no radio play or anything. It’s just mind-blowing.

What is your take on piracy in the music industry?

I think it’s impossible to tell. At the end of the day, honestly, it probably helps because where we really thrive and make our career is onstage, not in record stores. Obviously, record sales are not anywhere near what they used to be, or probably will ever be back then. But again, we supposedly sold about 30,000 singles. Maybe five years ago, that would’ve been 100,000, but I don’t think of it like that, because someone just calls and says, “You did 30,000 singles,” you can’t believe how amazing that is. You got to live in the present, you know?

What do you think sets your band apart and makes your fans keep listening to your records?

I think it’s a lot of things, but I want to believe that we write good songs, we play great shows, and we make people want to be part of what we do.

What are you looking forward to in your visit to the Philippines?

I don’t even know what to expect. I’m excited because it’s definitely the warmest place we’re going to on this tour. (Laughs) But you know, I do read from all the Twitter messages that I get that there are just so many people who are so excited about us coming. It’s the fact that it’s only one show, we’re going all the way just for one... we’re really excited about it.

Do you think it’s good that fans get to interact with you guys more directly through Twitter?

I have a hard time with it, because you know, when I was a kid, my favorite band certainly didn’t get to do that. Maybe I’m just old school or something, but I don’t know if I would’ve wanted them to. I kind of dug that that they were a huge mystery to me. But that was just part of my generation. I love talking to fans, it’s not something I don’t enjoy doing. And I really like Twitter. It’s so much less invasive. Whether I’m directly answering fans or not, the fact that I can just throw a little piece of information up really quick, like what I’m doing for the day or whatever, I think makes the people more connected to us.

Do you prank each other while you’re on tour? Is that a thing you guys do?

We’ve definitely had some crazy moments, stuff I can’t talk about, or wouldn’t want to talk about. (Laughs) We have those stories, sure. We like to have a good time, we all grew up together.

Who do you think is the biggest prankster?

Sean Mackin, definitely.

Could you tell us about the best prank he’s ever done?

One time, we were in the studio, and I was working on a guitar part. We were shooting webisodes for the band to put up on YouTube. And it was like 50, 55 degrees outside, which in LA is cold. He came running into the studio, telling me my car is getting towed, and I needed to run outside to stop the guy from towing it. And immediately, opening the door from the studio, they dumped like a five-gallon bucket of water all over me from up above, and filmed the whole thing.

Wow, that’s evil.

It was pretty evil. It was freezing cold, I was in the middle of recording, I had to go all the way home to my apartment, change and go back to the studio. I lost like two hours of my time. But you know, that’s Sean. That’s what he does.