Florida headbangers, A Day to Remember (ADTR), released their seventh album “You’re Welcome” on March 5 after a tumultuous set of release delays fueled by the coronavirus. Now that it’s here, fans are wishing for the band’s old sound — and for their money back.

Aside from a live acoustic album titled “Live at The Audio Compound,” released in Jan. 2021, their most recent album was 2016’s “Bad Vibrations.” This album was arguably one of the band’s largest pillars of success, landing in Top 30 positions or higher on album charts in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. It also charted Billboard’s year-end list at number 36. 

But to put it bluntly, other than a few standalone tracks such as guttural “Last Chance to Dance (Bad Friend)” and, well yeah, “Last Chance to Dance (Bad Friend),” the band sounds nothing like they have sounded in years past. 

One user was quick to call the album’s apparent mediocrity a result of karma.

New ADTR album is absolute garbage. It’s what they deserve.

— Mary Patterson (@MaryIPatterson) March 5, 2021

The band’s bassist, Josh Woodard, received sexual assault allegations in fall 2020 after one woman spoke out against him.

According to NME writer Rhian Daly, the woman was with Woodard eight years prior, when she was only 16. She said he had sex with her while she was under the influence.

Woodard denied the allegation made against him in a now-deleted Twitter post. This was the only statement he made on the situation. ADTR as a band never responded.

Others took to comparing the band’s more refined and oddly mixed sound for Imagine Dragons or music for car commercials.

Alright I’m done this album is really bad lmao. I can’t believe ADTR put out an Imagine Dragons album.

— sal di vittorio™ (@JigSal_) March 5, 2021

can’t believe I sat through the entire new ADTR record. what a dumpster fire. car commercial music LOL

— kb93 (@kevinTDMA) March 5, 2021

On Instagram, fans were much more ruthless.

“Can I cancel my vinyl?” a user asked. “I don’t want this album.”

“Putting ‘Last Chance to Dance’ on this album is like putting sprinkles on a pile of s***,” another said.

The onslaught of Instagram pessimism started long before March 5.

In an Instagram post from a month prior, the band reminisced on their Mexico tour back in 2019 through reposting certain images from that event. Both photos included in the post included drummer Alex Shelnutt.

Fans were quick to bombard the post with negative comments. When Shelnutt laughed them off, they persisted, posting things like “F*** these photos, bring back heavy ADTR instead,” and likening his sound to country singer Luke Bryan—the ultimate insult for a metalcore artist.

“I get ‘Bad Vibrations’ on what this album might sound like,” one user said.

But change can be a good thing. The band in fact announced its recruitment to Fueled By Ramen in 2019, a label known for springboarding many alternative rock acts such as Paramore, Panic! At The Disco, and its latest indie rockers, flor. 

The members could have evolved in their likes and dislikes. Two months prior to their signage into FBR, the band released a feature single with renowned Top 40 DJ Marshmello titled “Rescue Me.” 

And commenters underneath the track were overwhelmingly supportive of the band’s sudden allyship to the producer. Many called the convergence of rock and electronic music a little slice of musical pie that everyone ought to try.

Music Promotion Company Ghost Killer Entertainment said the song made the summer just that much better. The company is best known for amplifying underground artists in the alternative, metalcore and hardcore music scenes, subgenres that A Day to Remember has fallen under for more than 15 years.

“Marshmello and A Day to Remember doing a song together?!” it said. “I’m okay with this.”

Other music lovers felt the same way.

“As a rock and electronic music fan, this is the perfect song for me and anyone else who really loves the two genres,” one commentor said.

Sometimes change is warranted. Sometimes change is what you need. And then there’s change that maybe you didn’t expect or want to occur. But change is change.

Whether or not fans wish to continue listening to the thrashers-turned-pop-rockers is up for debate. All that really matters is that the bandmates are happy and they are producing what they wish to produce, not what a label wishes to push for them. Call it overly optimistic. Call it corny. But I see it as fact.

Joshua LeBerte is a sophomore studying news media. His column covers national pop culture items and runs regularly.