Last Friday, Swedish metalcore band Normandie released yet another single leading up to the release of their EP SIDE EFFECTS PT. 1, out April 17. While previous singles like “Sellout,” “Cyanide,” and “Guilt By Association” have leaned into a heavier side of the band, the newly released “Mayday” explores an anthemic, almost emo sound. Appropriate, as the band recently wrote in an Instagram caption about the song, “Mom it’s not a phase.”
Lead vocalist Philip Strand opens with a vocal style as if he’s calling out through a crowded stadium with the chorus: “I swear my heart is like a hand grenade / and there’s nothing left to save me / Can you hear me call out mayday, mayday.” These lyrics set the emotional tone right from the get-go, preparing us for the overarching theme of never feeling like you’re good enough. The song combines Normandie’s catchy hooks with driving guitars and somewhat upbeat electronic elements, which work together to keep “Mayday” from sounding too dark despite the subject matter.
While the message may be slightly self-deprecating, the song itself sounds more like a sorrowful, defeated reflection and cry for help than an affirmation of anger. The tone of the vocals and instrumentals makes it clear that the narrator wants to be good, but he believes that he’s damaged so he just can’t seem to get there on his own. And listeners who have been really digging the heavy sound that’s run through the latest singles won’t be disappointed; the bridge of “Mayday” delivers.
The song comes accompanied by a music video drenched in red, with scenes of the band performing the song intercut with scenes of Strand destroying his living room, flipping tables and smashing things with a golf club.
Only a month from the EP’s release, four of the five songs are now out and fans can’t wait to hear the last one on the tracklist. Now that we know most of the songs, Normandie’s followers are also already requesting tour dates in comments on their social media.
The newly independent band has succeeded in building incredible anticipation for their newest project, and we can’t wait to listen to the EP in full.
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