Mayday Parade : Black Lines Part 1

​Mayday Parade (MP) has been a band for the past decade, releasing a total of five full-

length albums and two EPs. Their latest full-length, Black Lines, was released on October 9, 2015 and has received mixed reviews. The CD is a different direction for the band, which is to be expected from a group that has been together for so many years. Artists can’t release the same music over and over again and expect fans to still be interested. I think Mayday Parade has done the right thing by changing their sound.

Being a fan of Mayday Parade for 10 years has cemented, in my mind, what I think they should sound like. Up until this point, they have released sweet pop-punk love songs with unforgettable guitar hooks that will be stuck in your head for days. With Black Lines, MP has experimented with completely new sounds and have taken on a much grittier outlook. The drums are heavier and the vocals are rustic and darker than they’ve ever been. Lead singer Derek Sanders has never before experimented with his style of singing, but his voice may be the only thing that links this album to old school Mayday Parade. He has a distinct sound despite using a guttural type nuance to belt these lyrics for the new songs. He screams partially, stretching his voice to his extremes in a few songs, in a very dark way that has given this CD a very different vibe.

This album touches on other topics that Mayday Parade has never ventured to. I must say Black Lines is truly showing that the band is no longer hiding behind a mask and releasing what they think the public wants to hear. I do believe after all these years MP has been wanting to venture outside of their ‘typical’ sound but was afraid of the ultimate response. While some fans, like myself, will dislike the album, it’s important for them to stay true to themselves as musicians and forge a new path. This CD is a new chapter for the group, and it will open them up to a whole new audience. Fans that never liked their clean, pop-punk love songs will enjoy Black Lines. Despite how I feel about their new album, I would definitely recommend seeing them live. They have always been great performers and I’m interested to see how these songs go off at a live show.

Mayday Parade is currently the headliner of The AP Tour and will be touring the entire country. Be sure to look up the dates, catch a show if you’re interested, and listen to Black Lines to hear an entirely new Mayday Parade. Prepare yourselves, old fans! You’ll either dislike the new sound or you may love the new direction. Either way, it’s definitely worth listening to.