Those who remember the best years of pop-punk will no doubt remember the distinctive and enthralling tones of Yellowcard <\/strong>and the vocals of William Ryan Key<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Across 10 studio albums and an incredibly recognizable sound (in particular owed to the band\u2019s signature use of a violin), the group proved themselves a hugely successful and influential participant of the last two decades of pop-punk, until finally disbanding in 2017 after the release of a swan song tenth act, Yellowcard.<\/em><\/p>\n Now with Yellowcard<\/strong> having been laid to rest, frontman\/vocalist William Ryan Key<\/a><\/strong> has since busied himself with performing intimate acoustic sets and taking on the responsibilities of producer throughout recent founding of the Lone Tree Recordings <\/strong>studio, while also taking the time to release the debut solo EP THIRTEEN<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite such a busy schedule, William Ryan Key<\/strong> was kind enough to discuss the latest developments of his career with us here at AltWire<\/strong>!<\/p>\n AltWire [Mark Stoneman]: Hi Ryan! First off, massive congratulations on the recent release of THIRTEEN<\/em>, and a huge \u2018thank you\u2019 from us for taking the time to answer our questions! Just to kick things off, there\u2019s so far been a hugely positive reaction toward the EP. Prior to its release, how did you feel the music of THIRTEEN<\/em> might be received? Did the reception of fans surprise you at all considering how it differs from the style of Yellowcard? <\/strong><\/p>\n William Ryan Key: <\/strong>I honestly had no idea. I went with my instincts when I was writing and recording and I knew I wanted to do something completely new and different from Yellowcard<\/strong>. As far as the fans\u2019 reception, yes, I\u2019m really surprised. It\u2019s not that I didn\u2019t think they would support me, or that they wouldn\u2019t love the music, it\u2019s just so different from what people are used to hearing from me I didn\u2019t know what to expect. I\u2019m amazed by all of the support I\u2019ve received. In a sense the fans have been my marketing team. So much of the success has come from people just spreading the word and sharing the music with others.<\/p>\n AltWire [Mark Stoneman]: While also acting as the opening track for the EP, \u2018Old Friends\u2019 felt like a perfect reintroduction to your identity musically, with the lyrical direction definitely having a lot to say. Would you mind talking a little about the writing of \u2018Old Friends\u2019, and perhaps what the track represents to you? <\/strong><\/p>\n William Ryan Key: <\/strong>I had the line, \u201cWent looking for a river of gold when my hometown was catching on fire. Left everyone I love in the smoke while I got lost becoming a liar\u201d<\/em>, for days and couldn\u2019t find anything to go with it, but really loved the idea. Like so much of my songwriting lyrically though, once I did find the ending, \u201cNow I\u2019m upstream, I\u2019m getting tired\u201d<\/em>, it was like the flood gates opened and the rest of the song just came rushing out. I wanted to face my mistakes head on with this one. With these songs being so stripped down, the lyrical content is obviously such a major focal point. It was important to me to be open and honest, and \u2018Old Friends\u2019 is probably one of the best examples of that I feel I\u2019ve ever written.<\/p>\n AltWire [Mark Stoneman]: You\u2019ve mentioned previously that one of the main catalysts for writing the EP was a desire to stop playing Yellowcard material live, and the writing process being a relatively short one compared to the \u201cslick\u201d and \u201cshiny\u201d production of previous releases. How did it feel opting for such a raw approach by comparison? <\/strong><\/p>\n William Ryan Key: <\/strong>Well when I reference the \u201cslick, shiny\u201d production I\u2019m not so much talking about the writing process. With that I mean as a producer I have found myself making those types of rock records mostly. With Thirteen<\/em> I really wanted to take a more raw, organic approach. That is why I brought in my friend Arun Bali<\/strong> (Saves the Day<\/strong>) to co-produce the EP. His production style is very much in the vein of the artists and records that inspired Thirteen<\/em>, and he really helped me forge this new sound.<\/p>\n