Mayday Parade is an American rock band formed in Tallahassee, Florida, in 2005, as the result of a merger between two local Tallahassee bands, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment. Their debut EP Tales Told by Dead Friends was released in 2006 and sold over 50,000 copies without any label support. In July 2007, Mayday Parade released their debut album A Lesson in Romantics. Having been signed to Fearless Records since 2006, the band also signed onto a major label with Atlantic Records in 2009. Their second studio album, Anywhere but Here was released in October 2009 and their third album, entitled Mayday Parade, was released in October 2011. Mayday Parade's fourth album, titled Monsters in the Closet, was released in October 2013. Their fifth album, titled Black Lines, was released October 2015. In April 2018, the band signed to Rise Records and released their sixth studio album Sunnyland on June 15, 2018. Their seventh studio album, What It Means to Fall Apart, was released on November 19, 2021. In 2025, the band planned to release a three-part album, with the first installment, Sweet, released on April 18, the second, Sad, released on October 3, and the final entry, Sugar, released on July 24, 2026.
History
Early years and Tales Told by Dead Friends (2005–2006) Mayday Parade was formed in the winter of 2005 following the merger of two local Tallahassee bands, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment. Kid Named Chicago featured vocalist/guitarist Jason Lancaster, guitarist Alex Garcia and drummer Jake Bundrick, while Defining Moment featured vocalist Derek Sanders, guitarist Brooks Betts, and bassist Jeremy Lenzo. Both bands previously practiced in the same building, before it occurred to Lenzo that it "made more sense if we put them together instead of playing separately."
Still without a name, the band went into the studio to record their first EP Tales Told by Dead Friends, with producer Lee Dyess. They decided on the band name Mayday Parade during the week they spent recording in the studio. According to the group, the name was thought of by Garcia who was a fan of the word Mayday and made the suggestion to remember their time watching the hometown parades together. "Three Cheers For Five Years" and "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" were the first songs the band wrote. The EP was released on June 13, 2006.
The group performed at the 2006 Vans Warped Tour in the summer. During the tour, they began selling physical copies of their EP, roaming around venue parking lots and approached concert-goers standing in line. By the end of summer, the EP sold more than 10,000 copies. These sales caught the attention of Fearless Records, which the band signed with the label on August 29. Following their appearance on Warped Tour, the group began writing songs for their debut studio album. The band went on their first U.S. tour with Brandtson and Mêlée, then on another tour with Plain White T's shortly after the release of the EP.
A Lesson in Romantics and Lancaster's departure (2007–2008)
In January 2007, the band started to record their debut studio album, A Lesson in Romantics, which was completed that same month. The album was recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, with production handled by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount. "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" and "Jamie All Over" were both re-recorded for the album, with the first previously receiving a big response from fans and the latter, a song that the group liked and decided to use it. In March, shortly after the album was completed, lead singer Jason Lancaster left the band citing a lack of writing credit on the band's releases. Due to this change, the group found it hard working out who should sing Lancaster's parts. Eventually, Lenzo and Bundrick filled in for Lancaster's vocals, while Garcia and Betts performed Lancaster's guitar parts.
On April 4, 2007, "Black Cat" was made available for streaming via Hot Topic's MySpace profile. Between early May and late June, the band went on tour with support from Bedlight for Blue Eyes, Driver Side Impact, and Sick City. The album was released on July 10, 2007. The album peaked at number eight on the US Heatseekers Albums chart. Mayday Parade supported their album on the 2007 Vans Warped Tour. In late September 2007, the band supported Paramore in Japan and Australia. They co-headlined a tour with Madina Lake from October to November 2007. "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" was released as the first single from the album on December 3, 2007, via iTunes. The music video for the song was eligible for two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Rock Video and Video of the Year.
Mayday Parade went on the Manwhores and Open Sores Tour alongside All Time Low, Every Avenue, and Just Surrender in January 2008. The band made their first UK appearance in April 2008 performing at the Give it a Name festival in Sheffield and London. "Jamie All Over" was released on May 20, 2008, as the album's second single. The band performed at the 2008 Vans Warped Tour. The group joined All Time Low, The Maine, and Every Avenue in Fall 2008 on The Compromising of Integrity, Morality, and Principles in Exchange for Money Tour. A Lesson in Romantics sold 200,000 copies in the United States, becoming their biggest selling album and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song "Miserable at Best" was also certified gold by the RIAA. In 2009, the group was featured in Punk Goes Pop Volume Two, performing a cover of "When I Grow Up" by The Pussycat Dolls.
Anywhere but Here (2009–2010) The band began writing their new record in December 2008, the first writing process as a band without lyricist Lancaster. They began recording the album in March 2009, with 50 songs in the process. That same month, the band signed onto a major label with Atlantic. The album was recorded and mixed at House of Loud in Elmwood Park, New Jersey by producer David Bendeth. The group, along with their producer, management and label, chose the best 11 tracks for the album. The band finished recording in June 2009 and announced that the album would be released on October 6. The band performed at the Slam Dunk Festival in the UK in May 2009. They also toured with A Rocket to the Moon and We Are the In Crowd in the UK that same month. The group joined Metro Station and Mitchel Musso on their summer tour in 2009.
The title track, "Anywhere But Here", was posted on their MySpace on July 28. On August 4, "The Silence" was released as the album's first single via iTunes. Their second studio album, Anywhere But Here, was officially released on October 6, 2009. The album peaked at number 31 on the US Billboard 200 and sold 17,780 copies in its first week. Mayday Parade co-headlined the 2009 Fall Ball tour with The Academy Is..., with supporting acts such as You Me at Six, The Secret Handshake, and Set Your Goals.
They co-headlined the 2010 Take Action Tour along with We the Kings, A Rocket to the Moon, There for Tomorrow and Stereo Skyline. They also joined Madina Lake on their UK tour alongside We Are the Ocean in March and April 2010. The band supported Sing it Loud on their spring tour along with Motion City Soundtrack. "Kids in Love" was released to mainstream radio on April 6, 2010, as the album's second single. The group covered the song "We Are the Champions" by Queen for the compilation album Punk Goes Classic Rock, released on April 27, 2010. The band was also featured on the 2010 Vans Warped Tour. On September 20, "Anywhere but Here" was released as the third single from the album.
Mayday Parade co-headlined a UK tour in the fall of 2010 with The Maine. The band headlined the Fearless Friends tour from October to November 2010, with support from Breathe Carolina, Go Radio, Artist vs. Poet and Every Avenue. On October 14, 2010, the group released a cover of "In My Head" by Jason Derulo as a single from Punk Goes Pop Volume 03.. The band a cameo appearance on the 2010 comedy film, How to Make Love to a Woman.
Valdosta EP and Mayday Parade (2011–2012) On March 8, 2011, the group released an EP titled Valdosta through Atlantic and Fearless Records. The EP was named after Valdosta, Georgia, where the band used to record their early material. It contained six tracks, including two brand new tracks titled "Amber Lynn" and "Terrible Things" as well as acoustic versions of "Kids in Love" and "Bruised and Scarred" from their second full-length studio album Anywhere but Here, "Your Song" from their Tales Told by Dead Friends and "Jamie All Over" from A Lesson in Romantics. On March 10, Songkick recognized Mayday Parade as the hardest-working band of 2010, with 194 bookings and 74,000 miles logged in the entire year, with Willie Nelson and Lady Gaga ranking No. 7 and No. 8 in comparison. On September 9, 2026, "Terrible Things" has received RIAA gold certification.
On July 13, 2011, the band announced that they departed from Atlantic Records and that their third studio album would be released independently. Written by the band in a beach house in Panacea, Florida, the self-titled album was produced by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, who also produced A Lesson in Romantics. In April 2011, drummer Jake Bundrick confirmed that their third full-length album had been completed. On July 6, 2011, Mayday Parade announced that they would be releasing their new self-titled album on October 4, 2011. The group wrote the album entirely by themselves and according to the band, they recorded "our way and not someone else's way this time". They also unveiled the track listing, revealing that the album had 12 songs. On July 27, Mayday Parade premiered the track "Oh Well, Oh Well" via Alternative Press. The song was released as the lead single from the album on August 1. On September 8, "When You See My Friends" was made available for streaming via MTV, and was released as a single a day later.
On October 4, 2011, Mayday Parade released their self-titled album and the album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200, selling nearly 27,000 copies in its first week. On October 5, 2011, Mayday Parade released a music video for "Oh Well, Oh Well" directed by Thunder Down Country. The animated video won the IndieStar TV award for Best Music Video of 2011. In October and November, the band headlined The Noise Tour with support from We Are the in Crowd, There for Tomorrow, You Me at Six and The Make. They later supported You Me at Six on their UK tour in March and April 2012. On April 4, 2012, the band released the music video for "Stay". In 2012, their debut album A Lesson In Romantics was released on vinyl. The band performed at the 2012 Vans Warped Tour.
In September, the group performed at the Bazooka Rocks Festival in the Philippines. The band co-headlined a US tour with The Maine, with support from The Postelles, in October and November. On October 15, 2012, the band released a cover of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" as a single from Punk Goes Pop Volume 5. The song features Vic Fuentes of Pierce the Veil. The song peaked at number 18 on the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and number 32 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart. In December, the band went on a short Australian tour with We Are the in Crowd and Heroes for Hire.
Monsters in the Closet (2013–2014)
On January 10, 2013, the band re-signed with Fearless Records and headed back into the studio to record their fourth studio album. The group supported All Time Low and Pierce the Veil on the Spring Fever Tour from April to May 2013. On June 26, Bundrick confirmed that the band had finished recording the album.