Title: “Young Cardinals”
Artist: Riot! in the Boulevard
Album: “Young Cardinals” (2018)
Release Date: December 30, 2017
Length: 4:08
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, Weekly Airplay, 7” Single
Recorded: June 2017 - Village Studios - Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop-Punk
Label: Studio60 Records
Written: March 2017
Writer(s): Adam Benjamin, Amy Meyer, Jason Greenberg
Producer(s): Riot! in the Boulevard, Cara Zayn, Christian Fallon
“Young Cardinals” is a track written and recorded by the American alternative-rock trio 'Riot! in the Boulevard' as part of their sixth studio album 'Young Cardinals' which is set to be released in 2018. With the release of this latest single it currently marks the sixth single released prior to the album and the twenty-fifth overall single released from the band in their careers, a remarkable feat considering their young age. 'Young Cardinals' is the self-titled single from the album of the same name and follows from their previous effort, August's 'Fireworks Over Vegas' not only chronologically but also in terms of theme and inspiration. A theme that the trio has promised will continue to creep into their work on this new record which is all about growing older and moving on from their past selves. It also adds fuel to the fire that this could be the final album from the group and they've purposely made a record which is very much aimed around looking back over their time together as a band and how their lives have changed since then. Lead singer Amy Meyer recently had this to say about the new single and the stage the band are currently at in their careers;
“I think if you've been following our band from the start, you probably understand where we're going in the next couple of years. I mean, nothing is 100% set in stone, but we certainly know how we're feeling about everything and I think we're a littler wiser now than we've been in the past. Our next single is a track called 'Young Cardinals' and I think this song is one that our fans have been waiting to hear ever since they knew we were releasing new music. It's a song that we've referenced in interviews and online fan Q+A's for almost a year now and we believe that the themes of the song answer a lot of questions that the fans have about how we're feeling right now as a group, six albums into our careers and god knows how many years now.
There has been a changing of mindset from us and as much as I hate to admit this, the world around us has broken our spirit over the years. We started out with so much passion and enthusiasm, so much belief that the words that we were writing down in our bedrooms and screaming out to our little community of fans would hold so much importance and could have a truly positive impact on the world. But as the years went on, it became routine, our passion became veiled by deadlines from labels to push out songs and albums quicker than we could create. I don't know if things would have been better if we had more time to perfect them but both my heart and mind would have a lot less stress and mileage weighing on them if we were just given a chance to let our work breathe. To let ourselves breathe.
I think as much as it may depress some of our long-time fans, 'Young Cardinals' is a track that they need to listen to, if only just to understand the things that we've not been able to say out loud until now.”
“Young Cardinals” was written in March 2017 by Amy Meyer, Adam Benjamin and Jason Greenberg and recorded in June 2017 by the group at Village Studios in Los Angeles, California. The lyrics and music was written collaboratively by the group and production was overseen by the group alongside Cara Zayn and Christian Fallon. The song will be released through Studio60 Records as a CD Single, Digital Download and 7” Single as well as being made available to streaming services from December 30, 2017.
SONG DESCRIPTION;The song begins with the eerie and emotive sounds of a church organ, instantly giving the feeling that we're witnessing the funeral of the band, clearly this was arranged to feel that way as the sounds of the organ chiming and the echoing vocals of Amy Meyer as she softly sings out the songs opening lyrics, “Sometimes I considered quitting this lifestyle/It seems these days the only thing we pay attention to are confined to 140 characters or less/Or is it 280 characters? I digress/And I guess we're all just victims of our success/Perhaps we were wrong to see this as a platform to help the lost find their way/But that's why we got into this in the first place and that is what we've all been working towards/They gave us the lay of the land and told us to make it our own/But somewhere along the way/The landscape has changed/Now, this is now what we had envisaged/But now it's time for a change.”
And as the opening verse closes we're quickly hit by a powerful and driving pop-punk guitar and drums delivery and the pace of the song instantly changes as Amy sings faster and louder during it's chorus, “We were the young cardinals/We placed our hands on our hearts and pledged allegiance/ They said we were the only hope for this world/Thought that five kids from Vegas would be the spark to ignite the fire/But as the years went on/Two of them have gone/And we’re left fighting what feels like a losing battle.” which shows the mindset of the group as they reference the departure of two of their bandmates and best friends while they were at their very peak in the industry. Which shows that the group of willing to show a side to the group that they've not let people see as dramatically until now.
As the music continues to crash around, the anarchic feeling leads into the breakdown of the song again as Amy decides not to reign it in, bellowing out the songs lyrics, “They said we were growing up fast/But we were still learning how to crawl before we walk/Handed a microphone and a stage/We quickly learnt to talk/We put our hands on our hearts/Said what had to be said/The crowds they listened to each and every word/I guess those days are dead.” which almost feels like Amy is saying that not only have the group lost some of their passion and fire but also that the audiences that used to listen to every word intently and those die-hard fans have perhaps been drowned out by the casual fans that venture to 'Riot!' shows for more superficial reasons. The song then continues to crash around briefly before fading out.
LYRICS;“Sometimes I considered quitting this lifestyle
It seems these days the only thing we pay attention to are confined to 140 characters or less
Or is it 280 characters? I digress
And I guess we’re all just victims of our success
Perhaps we were wrong to see this as a platform to help the lost find their way
But that’s why we got into this in the first place and that is what we’ve all been working towards
They gave us the lay of the land and told us to make it our own
But somewhere along the way
The landscape had changed
Now, this is not what we had envisaged
But now it’s time for a change
We were the young cardinals
We placed our hands on our hearts and pledged allegiance
They said we were the only hope for this world
Thought that five kids from Vegas would be the spark to ignite the fire
But as the years went on
Two of them have gone
And we’re left fighting what feels like a losing battle
They said we were growing up fast
But we were still learning how to crawl before we walk
Handed a microphone and a stage
We quickly learnt to talk
We put our hands on our hearts
Said what had to be said
The crowds they listened to each and every word
I guess those days are dead
We were the young cardinals
We placed our hands on our hearts and pledged allegiance
They said we were the only hope for this world
Thought that five kids from Vegas would be the spark to ignite the fire
But as the years went on
Two of them have gone
And we’re left fighting what feels like a losing battle
Follow us
We’ll be your light
If you promise to take a stand
Against this corporate plight
Follow us
We’ll be your light
If you promise to take a stand
Against this corporate plight
We were the young cardinals
We placed our hands on our hearts and pledged allegiance
They said we were the only hope for this world
Thought that five kids from Vegas would be the spark to ignite the fire
But as the years went on
Two of them have gone
And we’re left fighting what feels like a losing battle”
PERSONNEL;Amy Meyer – lead vocals, organ, lyrics, composition, production
Adam Benjamin – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, lyrics, composition, production
Jason Greenberg – bass guitar, lyrics, composition, production
Billie Langdon – drums, percussion
Cara Zayn – production, mixing, engineering
Christian Fallon – production, mixing
SOUNDALIKE;Fall Out Boy - “Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes”
