A Lesson in Romantics

Tallahassee Florida band Mayday Parade's debut album.
This band got it's start as an amalgamation of two different bands coming together, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment. With several of the band members contributing songwriting and lead vocals, you can't help but feel that this band in a way is a major collaborative supergroup. Well, apart from their first EP, this would be the only Mayday album to feature Jason Lancaster, as he would cite writing credits as the reason for leaving.

So this band has an interesting history for sure, but apart from that there's a good reason why this group stands out to me from their pop-punk contemporaries, and that's their earnestness and mix of influences that help shape their sound. Their debut is a perfect example of this.

Opening up with their iconic "Jamie All Over", this tune was actually a song conceived by Jason in his band A Kid Named Chicago, and was recorded for the first time for Mayday Parade. It's memorable lyrics and anthemic hooks helped cement it as a pop-punk staple for late aughts millenials and is very easily one of the best songs on this record. "When I Get Home" is another fantastic single from Jason that was re-recorded for this album. It's classic pop-punk vitriol about a girl who sleeps around with no regard for anyone in particular. Another popular single is "Jersey", a heartfelt song about learning to move on from a relationship and how difficult it can be. Super catchy, strong hook that'll get stuck in your head for days, it's fantastic.

The deeper cuts of this album are also fire, "Take This to Heart" is a power ballad that builds, it's one of those classic songs about long distance love while on tour, it's got a fantastic climactic finish and the vocals are really good on this one. "If you wanted a song" and "I'd hate to be you" are also fantastic songs that go hard lyrically and instrumentally.

Another aspect of this record I like a lot is the use of guitars. While most songs are pretty standard four chord affairs, they do make use of guitar layering and in a few songs you actually get neat licks and solos that really elevate the songs beyond the predictable nature of the genre. Mixing in elememts of emo-pop and alternative rock also give the songs an additional edge.

Now there's one major blemish for me on this album, "Miserable at Best" is a five minute long piano ballad with very melodramatic singing and eye-rolling lyrics. It feels especially juvenile considering the genre and time period, and it just drags on for forever. The one track I usually skip.
The album ends on a high note though, "You'll be the anchor" is a very effective power ballad that ties up the overall narrative of love and loss and strained feelings into a neat bow, touching on some themes of existentialism and powerful imagery of standing on a beach. Good stuff.

So yeah, I actually dig this album quite a bit. It's got lots of bangers, a decent flow and songwriting that usually rises above the expectations of the genre. One song makes this album not quite as good as it could be, but excluding that this one is pretty much a classic. Worth checking out if you dig pop-punk and emo.

"Jersey just got colder.."~