Mayday Parade

Mayday Parade is an American rock band formed in Tallahassee, Florida in 2005. The group came together when two local bands, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment, merged into one lineup. From the start, Mayday Parade built momentum the old-school way: writing constantly, playing hard, and selling their music directly to people who were already standing in line for the next set.

How The Band Got Started

Mayday Parade began in the winter of 2005 after members of Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment decided it made more sense to join forces than to keep operating as separate projects. Kid Named Chicago included vocalist and guitarist Jason Lancaster, guitarist Alex Garcia, and drummer Jake Bundrick. Defining Moment included vocalist Derek Sanders, guitarist Brooks Betts, and bassist Jeremy Lenzo.

At first they did not even have a band name. They went into the studio to record songs and essentially let the identity form while the tracks were being made. During that recording week, they landed on the name Mayday Parade. The story goes that Garcia liked the word “Mayday,” and the band connected it to memories of watching hometown parades together. The name stuck, and so did the sense that this was a band built out of shared time, not just shared influences.

Tales Told By Dead Friends And The First Breakthrough

The band recorded their first EP, Tales Told by Dead Friends, with producer Lee Dyess. It was released on June 13, 2006. Early songs like “Three Cheers for Five Years” and “When I Get Home, You’re So Dead” were among the first tracks they wrote together, and they became the kind of live favorites that help a new band feel bigger than the room they are playing.

That same summer, Mayday Parade played the Vans Warped Tour. They sold physical copies of the EP directly to concert-goers, including people waiting in long lines outside venues. By the end of the summer they had moved more than 10,000 copies, and the EP would ultimately be credited with selling over 50,000 copies without label support. That kind of number tends to make label people sit up straight, and Fearless Records did exactly that.

Signing With Fearless And Turning Toward A Full-Length

Mayday Parade signed with Fearless Records on August 29, 2006. From there, they shifted into writing mode for a full-length album while continuing to tour. They hit the road with Brandtson and Mêlée, then toured again with Plain White T’s not long after the EP release. This period mattered because it put them in front of audiences who might not have come specifically for them, which is often how a band grows from “your favorite band’s opener” into “the band you came early for.”

A Lesson In Romantics And A Big Lineup Shift

In January 2007, Mayday Parade recorded their debut studio album, A Lesson in Romantics. The sessions took place in Atlanta, Georgia, and production was handled by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount. Songs like “When I Get Home, You’re So Dead” and “Jamie All Over” were re-recorded for the album, with the band leaning into what fans were already reacting to live.

Right after the album was completed, the band faced a major internal change. In March 2007, Jason Lancaster left, and the departure was tied to writing credit issues. Losing a lead singer is a stress test for any band. Mayday Parade worked out a solution by splitting Lancaster’s vocal parts across the remaining members, with Lenzo and Bundrick stepping in vocally and Garcia and Betts covering guitar parts where needed.

The album was released on July 10, 2007. It found a quick audience and peaked at number eight on the US Heatseekers Albums chart. The band supported the record on the 2007 Vans Warped Tour and continued expanding their reach with tours and overseas dates, including supporting Paramore in Japan and Australia.

Singles from this era helped keep the album in rotation. “When I Get Home, You’re So Dead” was released as a single in late 2007, and “Jamie All Over” followed in 2008. The band spent that stretch touring heavily, including runs with All Time Low, Every Avenue, Just Surrender, The Maine, and others.

A Lesson in Romantics eventually became their biggest selling album, moving around 200,000 copies in the United States and earning a gold certification. “Miserable at Best” also received gold certification.

Anywhere But Here And The Atlantic Era

In late 2008, Mayday Parade began writing their next record. This was their first full writing cycle as a band without Lancaster’s lyrical contribution, and they reportedly worked through a large batch of songs before narrowing the final selection. In March 2009, they also signed with Atlantic Records, adding a major-label relationship alongside Fearless.

Anywhere but Here was recorded and mixed at House of Loud in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, with producer David Bendeth. The album was released October 6, 2009. It debuted at number 31 on the Billboard 200 and sold 17,780 copies in its first week. Singles from this cycle included “The Silence,” “Kids in Love,” and the title track.

Touring stayed constant. The band co-headlined the Fall Ball tour with The Academy Is…, and later co-headlined the 2010 Take Action Tour with We the Kings. They also continued international runs, including UK dates and festivals, and returned to Warped Tour during this era.

In 2010, Mayday Parade also appeared on compilations, including a cover of Jason Derulo’s “In My Head” for Punk Goes Pop Volume 03, and they contributed a cover of Queen’s “We Are the Champions” for Punk Goes Classic Rock. These kinds of releases functioned like little “hello” postcards to listeners who might have missed the band otherwise.

Valdosta EP And Going Independent Again

On March 8, 2011, Mayday Parade released the Valdosta EP through Atlantic and Fearless. The title referenced Valdosta, Georgia, a place connected to their early recording history. The EP included new songs like “Amber Lynn” and “Terrible Things,” plus acoustic versions and revisits of earlier tracks.

Later that year, Mayday Parade announced they had departed from Atlantic Records, setting up their next full-length as an independent release. For their third album, the band wrote together in a beach house in Panacea, Florida. They returned to Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount for production, the same team behind A Lesson in Romantics.

The Self-Titled Album And A Sharper Sense Of Control

The self-titled album Mayday Parade was released on October 4, 2011. The band framed it as a record made on their own terms, with the group writing the material themselves and focusing on choices they could stand behind. “Oh Well, Oh Well” led the rollout, and “When You See My Friends” followed.

The album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 with nearly 27,000 copies sold in its first week. The band supported it with heavy touring, including The Noise Tour and more overseas dates.

Monsters In The Closet And A Return To Fearless

In early 2013, Mayday Parade re-signed with Fearless Records and began recording their fourth studio album. Monsters in the Closet was released October 8, 2013. It debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales around 30,000.

Singles like “Ghosts” and “Girls” anchored the cycle. The band supported the release with a headlining tour run in Europe and the United States, plus festival appearances. A deluxe edition followed in 2014, adding extra songs to extend the album’s life on setlists.

Black Lines And A Deliberate Reset

For their fifth studio album, Black Lines, Mayday Parade worked with producer Mike Sapone and made a point of changing their process. The band described wanting to push past patterns they felt were repeating on prior records. The album was released October 9, 2015, debuting at number 21 on the Billboard 200 and topping the US Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts.

They toured the album heavily, including the Alternative Press Tour and additional overseas runs. Anniversary editions of earlier releases also arrived around this time, including expanded versions of Tales Told by Dead Friends and A Lesson in Romantics, which helped reconnect newer listeners with the early years.

Rise Records, Sunnyland, And The Next Phase

In April 2018, Mayday Parade signed with Rise Records. Their sixth studio album, Sunnyland, was released on June 15, 2018. The album was supported by a string of singles, including “Piece of Your Heart,” “Never Sure,” and “Stay the Same.”

They continued touring with festival stops and co-headlining shows, including appearances connected to the final cross-country Warped Tour run in 2018 and additional dates in 2019.

Out Of Here And What It Means To Fall Apart

In 2020, the band released new music and followed it with the Out of Here EP on October 16, 2020. The EP included “Lighten Up, Kid,” “First Train,” and “I Can Only Hope.”

Recording for their seventh studio album took place in sessions that included work in Atlanta with Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount. What It Means to Fall Apart was released on November 19, 2021. Singles from the album included “Kids of Summer,” “Bad at Love,” “Golden Days,” and “Think of You.”

In 2022, the band toured widely again and continued releasing songs, including “Losing My Mind.”

Sweet And Sad, With More To Come

In 2023 and 2024, Mayday Parade continued to release singles, experiment with alternate versions of their work, and keep touring as a steady part of their schedule. In 2025, they announced a three-part album plan. The first installment, Sweet, was released on April 18, 2025, followed by Sad on October 3, 2025. A third installment was discussed for spring 2026.

Alongside the release plans, they announced major touring, including the “Three Cheers for 20 Years” headlining run in North America, with an extension into Australia.

Sound And Approach

Mayday Parade has been described across pop-punk, emo, emo pop, pop rock, alternative rock, and rock. Their catalog moves between clean, hook-driven writing and heavier moments, but the common thread is the band’s emphasis on melody, big choruses, and lyrics built for sing-alongs. The shift from the early dual-vocal era into later releases also highlights how the band adapted, redistributing roles rather than trying to replace one person with a carbon copy.

Side Projects

After leaving Mayday Parade, Jason Lancaster formed Go Radio, releasing EPs and albums before that project ended in 2013. He later pursued solo work, including a solo album As You Are in 2014.

Brooks Betts and Jeremy Lenzo also formed Truth or Consequence, with Betts handling multiple instruments and Lenzo on bass and vocals. Their debut EP Second Fiddle was released December 25, 2013.

Members

• Derek Sanders, lead vocals, piano, additional guitar (2005 to present)
• Alex Garcia, lead guitar (2005 to present)
• Brooks Betts, rhythm guitar (2005 to present), lead guitar (2005 to 2007)
• Jeremy Lenzo, bass guitar, backing vocals (2005 to present), co-lead vocals (2007 to present)
• Jake Bundrick, drums, percussion (2005 to present), backing vocals and co-lead vocals (2007 to present)

Former Members

• Jason Lancaster, lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2005 to 2007)

Discography

• Tales Told by Dead Friends (EP, 2006)
• A Lesson in Romantics (2007)
• Anywhere but Here (2009)
• Valdosta (EP, 2011)
• Mayday Parade (2011)
• Monsters in the Closet (2013)
• Black Lines (2015)
• Sunnyland (2018)
• Out of Here (EP, 2020)
• What It Means to Fall Apart (2021)
• Sweet (2025, first installment of a three-part release)
• Sad (2025, second installment of a three-part release)