Founded in Tallahassee, Florida in 2005, the band Mayday Parade has gone on to become a staple in the pop-punk genre.
In 2005, the band released their first EP, “Tales Told By Dead Friends.” The EP features six songs, including “Three Cheers for Five Years.” Following the release of this EP, the band released two singles that would be featured on their next album “A Lesson in Romantics,” which is regarded as their most beloved album by fans. The singles, “Jamie All Over” and “Miserable At Best” are two of the band’s most streamed songs on Spotify. “Jamie All Over” is the band’s most streamed song with over 130 million streams. According to the band, this album is about “being in a relationship while you’re on the road, and the different hardships that come with that.”
This theme is featured in both singles of the album. In both of these songs, the band explores the concept of hopelessness and uncertainty that can come with relationships. “A Lesson in Romantics” is the album that bands most heavily associate with Mayday Parade and continue to love.
Two years later in 2009, the band released their second album “Anywhere but Here.” Singles for this album include “Anywhere but Here,” “The Silence” and “Kids in Love.” For this album, the band worked with co-writers on many of the tracks. For this reason, the band expressed that this was an album they “didn’t care about as much or love as much,” said Genius. Following “A Lesson in Romantics,” this album did not have the same energy and cohesiveness that fans of the band’s first album appreciated.
In 2011, the band released their self-titled third album. On this album, each of the tracks was written alone by the band without co-writers. The album had three singles and, according to Genius, was number 12 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and sold nearly 27,000 copies in the first week of its release. The singles “Stay” and “Oh Well, Oh Well” are two of the band’s most popular songs. Following their period of co-writing songs with other artists, the band was back with original material that was appreciated by fans.
The band’s next album to be featured on the U.S. Billboard 200 was “Monsters in the Closet.” This album featured singles “Ghost” and “Girls.” Once again, the band had an album that audiences adored. From 2011-2014, the band had a similar appreciation from their fanbase as they did in 2007 with the release of “A Lesson in Romantics.” Then, in 2015, the band released the album “Black Lines.” This album took on a much more somber tone than previous albums and overall had a different sound.
The band’s sixth album, “Sunnyland,” released in 2018, combined many elements that the band had experimented with throughout the years. The album expertly combines the angst and somber melodies seen throughout their career while remaining true to the themes of love and loss in relationships. By combining many different styles, the band was able to experiment with their sound and still gain fan approval.
In 2021, the band released their newest album “What It Means To Fall Apart.” Once again, the band stayed true to their old sound. However, seeing as the album was released in 2021, they included songs that discussed Covid. “After a year of restrictions and negativity, I was hopeful that better days would soon be ahead,” singer Derek Sanders told Alternative Press on the track “Golden Days.” With this album, the band once again showed their strength in writing classic pop-punk hits.
In recent weeks, the band released their newest EP, “More Like A Crash,” which shares similarities with their first album, “A Lesson in Romantics.” Additionally, the band is touring in Europe into 2024 before performing at When We Were Young Fest next October alongside other notable pop-punk bands, such as My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and A Day To Remember.
While they are few in listeners, Mayday Parade is a staple in the world of pop-punk. Through exploring themes of love and loss, and staying true to the style that is beloved by fans, the band will be remembered for their influence on the world of pop-punk.