Yellowcard recently made a comeback with its first album since 2012 with all new songs, full of awkward forays into new and different sounds.

The experiment begins with “Convocation,” a folksy orchestral piece with no lyrics in it whatsoever, something out of place for Yellowcard. But it quickly returns to the band’s typical punk sound with “Transmission Home.”

Yellowcard also plays around with its sound by trying to invoke the sounds of Flyleaf in “Illuminate” and “The Deepest Well.” The band then does its best Creed impersonation in “Lift a Sail” and “My Mountain.” Later, the band imitates Of Monsters and Men in “Msk.” But each time the band plays around with its sound, it transitions too quickly between its signature sound and the other sounds it’s trying to emulate.

It should be also noted that only four of the 13 songs are not about love or heartbreak. The majority of the album focuses on love of some kind.

While the album primarily serves as an experiment in which Yellowcard tries too hard to be different from its old self, the album has its bright spots. In “Madrid,” the group tries out an acoustic sound. Altogether, it’s not a bad album, but it’s certainly not the old Yellowcard anymore.

_MOVE gives Yellowcard’s “Lift a Sail” 3 out of 5 stars._