One for the Kids is the third studio album by American rock band Yellowcard. It was released on April 3, 2001 on Lobster Records and is the first Yellowcard album to include Ryan Key as lead singer and guitarist. It was produced, engineered and mixed by Darian Rundall at Stall No. 2 in Redondo Beach, California. Six of the songs, "Drifting," "Sureshot," "Big Apple Heartbreak," "Cigarette," "October Nights," and "A.W.O.L.," are featured on Microsoft's snowboarding video gameAmped 2 for Xbox. "Drifting" and "Rock Star Land" both originally appeared on the band's previous EP, Still Standing EP. The album was re-released on vinyl in 2012.
Background
The band moved from their native Florida to Thousand Oaks, California to record the album. After the album's release, the band embarked on their first full-length tour, alongside Rise Against and Mad Caddies. In a 2011 interview, violinist Sean Mackin described the album: "One for the Kids was a really big album for us. You have to understand, we started the band when we were 15, 16 years old. The first two albums before Ryan Key joined the band, we only printed 1,000 copies. We were just high school kids. When we decided to make a run at being in a band, we signed to a record label, Lobster Records. They had full distribution, and we started recording as a different style of band than when we first started. That was very punk-rock-focused, kind of extra adolescent? When Ryan joined the band, it brought a different kind of songwriting that allowed us to showcase our different sorts of influences. It's an important part of Yellowcard and, really, the version of our band that most people know."
Reception
AllMusic stated the album is "full of hooks and catchy choruses as strong as any of the syrupy sweet punk bands around southern California." and compared the sound of the album to Dave Matthews Band. Sputnikmusic praised the band's inclusion of the violin and stated the album was a "rough draft of Ocean Avenue". Exclaim! also praised the band's use of violin, stating "not since FM's Nash the Slash donned bandages has the electric violin been used so effectively in rock music." as well as stating the album had "above average, melodic punk, fusing energy and enthusiasm with creative chord progressions, classically-inspired riffs and harmonies aplenty HM included the song "Something of Value" on the list of essential Yellowcard songs in a retrospective career review. Rockzone.com also praised the album's musicianship.
