Just about two years ago, Yellowcard announced that after nearly two decades together, they would be breaking up following the release of a final album and world tour. They played their final show last March and released one final music video for “A Place We Set Afire” the following month.

Now, just over a year since the world had to finally say goodbye to Yellowcard, frontman Ryan Key has announced he’ll be releasing a solo EP, Thirteen, on May 25 via The Lone Tree Recordings. Named for the year 2013 – which Key says in a press release was “a really difficult year for both me and the people I love…. When writing, I was looking back on the journey from then until now.” He’s also re-added “William” to his full name as he starts his solo career, a name he carries from one of his biggest inspirations: his maternal grandfather.

Thirteen doesn’t sound like Yellowcard, but it certainly sounds like William Ryan Key. The EP was mixed by and co-produced with Arun Bali of Saves The Day at his own studio The Lone Tree Recordings; it’s got all of the heart fans know and love from Yellowcard, but it takes on a more introspective approach. In a press release about Thirteen, Key explains, “It took a long time to find my own focus and direction after 17 years in a band…. However, once I found it, the music felt like coming home. There was new freedom and creativity that I channeled into each of the songs.”

The cover art and track listing for Thirteen can be seen below.

William Ryan Key – Thirteen – Track Listing:

  1. Old Friends
  2. Vultures
  3. Form and Figure
  4. Thirty Days
  5. Great Unknown

Starting next week, William Ryan Key will be sharing his new songs live on The Sick Tour with longtime friends New Found Glory (he’ll also be playing guitar in their set), Bayside, and The Movielife. The tour will begin on May 16 in Pompano Beach, FL and conclude on June 22 in Dallas, TX; the full list of dates can be seen below.

May 16 Pompano Beach, FL Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
May 17 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues
May 18 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
May 19 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
May 20 Norfolk, VA The Norva
May 22 Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore
May 23 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
May 25 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
May 26 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
May 27 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony
May 29 New York, NY Playstation Theater
May 30 Boston, MA House Of Blues
Jun 1 Pontiac, MI Crofoot Ballroom
Jun 2 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
Jun 4 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
Jun 5 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
Jun 6 St Louis, MO The Pageant
Jun 8 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
Jun 9 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
Jun 11 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
Jun 12 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
Jun 14 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom
Jun 15 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl
Jun 16 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
Jun 17 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
Jun 19 Tempe, AZ The Marquee
Jun 21 Austin, TX Emo’s
Jun 22 Dallas, TX House Of Blues

Signed copies of Thirteen are available on William Ryan Key’s website here, along with more information. Reflecting on the start of this solo project, he shares: “I can only hope that this release is the beginning of a new chapter both for myself, and for the fans that have supported me for so very long.”