Review by: Hannah Adamson
Recommended Tracks: Take My Breath Away, Is Nowhere, Always Leaving
Artists You May Like: All Time Low, We The Kings, The Maine, state Champs
Mayday Parade is a staple in pop-punk music and people all across the world have been scream-singing their saddening, but relatable lyrics since the release of their first EP, Tales Told by Dead Friends, in 2006. They have maintained a solid career among the punk community and are back with a new album titled Sunnyland.
Released Friday, June 25, Sunnyland is a blend of previous albums and has songs that vary along all ends of the Mayday gamut. From the more pop tailored ‘Piece of Your Heart’ to the stylistically beautiful ‘Always Leaving’ and ‘Take my Breath Away’, listeners will have plenty of songs that sound like classic Mayday Parade.
This particular album focuses heavily on the concepts of growing up and the heartbreak that comes from life. This is apparent in several of the songs on the album. The song ‘Where You Are’ is a devastating example of this, and has been compared to the likes of ‘Terrible Things’, aka one of the most popular Mayday Parade songs. This holds especially true due to the stories being told in the respective songs, both referencing the death of a loved one. The concepts behind the album make it all the more relatable to everyone.
Some of the more popular songs on the new album include the aforementioned ‘Piece of Your Heart’, the unbelievably angry single ‘It’s Hard to be Religious When Certain People are Never Incinerated by Bolts of Lightning’, and my personal favorite, ‘Is Nowhere’. Each of these songs embody different sides of Mayday, and the syncopation in ‘Is Nowhere’ makes that particular song irresistible to listeners. It also is more popular among fans because it is a little different — it is one of the only songs on the album that departs from textbook MP sounds.
In fact, the only issue one can take with Sunnyland is that Mayday Parade is not departing from their typical sound quite enough, and appear to constantly be putting out different versions of the same thing. Barring the 2015 album Black Lines, many of the albums are extremely similar stylistically. While this is good news for fans of the original albums, this can show a lack of the natural progression that typically comes with artist age. That being said, most would argue that the band deserves lee-way in this respect because of their stint between record companies. Sunnyland is Mayday Parade’s debut album with their new record label, Rise Records. Because of this, the album can be viewed as just a starting point with the record label and can instead be somewhere to progress from. In addition, ‘Black Lines’ was experimental enough to keep things interesting for a few more years.
Overall, Sunnyland is a great record that anticipates a bright future for Mayday Parade. Be sure to catch the band on the concluding run of Warped Tour, and keep an eye out for tour dates to follow.
Stream the album NOW on Spotify or Apple Music or be sure to purchase the album on Mayday Parade’s website.
For further news check out the band’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
