When Yellowcard wrapped their 2023 tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album Ocean Avenue, they had a decision: Could they walk away happy about a positive experience, or would they dive back into making music? “There was definitely a sense of not wanting to say, ‘Let’s hang it up,’” Yellowcard violinist Sean Mackin tells Apple Music. The band decided to get back in the studio with a newfound sense of purpose. “We wanted it to be the best version of Yellowcard,” says bassist Josh Portman. “We wanted to go out and do it.” In an effort to kick-start the process and help Yellowcard’s first album in nine years make a strong statement, the band brought in outside writers for the first time—although they had all been vetted. “At this point in our career, we have several friends who have become wildly successful writers,” says Mackin. “They are not pop topline guys—they’re guys we’ve known from bands for decades.” Nick Long, who played with Yellowcard guitarist Ryan Mendez in the California skate-punk act Staring Back and who’s written for King Princess and mgk, was one of those writers. Another was Andrew Goldstein, a former member of the electro-pop-punk band The Friday Night Boys who’s written for Tate McRae and The Band CAMINO. Long and Goldstein co-wrote with Yellowcard, and they also helped produce Better Days alongside blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. Somehow, the two bands had never crossed paths even though they existed in the same pop-punk orbit. “We’ve been billed together, but we never rubbed elbows,” says Portman. Putting Yellowcard together with such a top-tier team led to Better Days, which also includes appearances from Avril Lavigne and Matt Skiba. “Talk about the rock gods—the stars aligned for this record,” says vocalist Ryan Key.