So this is a new era for the Ocala Florida pop-punk rockers ‘A Day to Remember’, with after near 14 years in the independent scene, they have made the jump and signed for record label ‘Fueled By Ramen’, and joined the list of bands like Twenty One Pilots, Paramore, and All Time Low to name a few.

But with this in mind, there was some curiosity that this change in label would mean a change of sound. This was all but confirmed with an interview with Kerrang, in which McKinnon states that he wanted to take, the "A Day to Remember sound" and "take on modern influences".

This wasn’t a surprise, due to the band also being a mixer of different styles and genre, with their roots coming from pop-punk and metalcore scenes, which always made them unique. So it made sense that they take this approach, and try to explore more mainstream sensibility and sounds.

Nevertheless with ‘You’re Welcome’ you definitely get that. With tracks like Mindreader, Last Chance To Dance (Bad Friend), and High Diving to name a few, they really embrace this new sound they are trying to explore, by using pop elements in between the sound we know and love from them.

But with these good intentions, a lot of these tracks don’t really hit home as much as they should, the album has too much going on, and feels bloated, with a couple that could have been cut like Looks Like Hell and Only Money are ones that come to mind.

Also, much of the album sounds like they are trying too many things and not really knowing what sound to stick with.

But when they get the mix right, you do get some pretty good additions to the 'A Day to Remember' discography. Brick Wall, Degenerate, Permanent, Re-Entry, and Everything We Need, are good examples of this, with Degenerate and Brick Wall being the standouts.

Overall, it still an album worth checking out, in the sense, they was trying something new, which didn't pay off, but the attempt is always admirable. But if All Time Low has proven anything with their second album on Fueled By Ramen, that the second album is always better than the first.

So with that in mind, 'A Day to Remember' future looks very bright with this new direction, and with this album is a very good start even, if most of their ideas being more misses than hits.

My Verdict: 7/10

Written By

Stuart Irvine