They are back with their self-titled album, two years after
the release of their second album ‘Anywhere but here’ which seemed to fall on
deaf ears in comparison to the debut album, ‘A Lesson in Romantics’. However,
after claims that the last album was ‘risk-free’ the band are back doing what
they do best, including writing extraordinarily long song titles.
The first track of the album is ‘Oh Well Oh Well’ and oh
well oh well what a song it is. From the clean opening to the heavy riffs that
follow, this song makes a statement about the whole album to follow, from the
first song it is clear that this band mean business.
Now, no Mayday Parade album is complete without a
heart-wrenching ballad, such as Miserable at Best (A Lesson in Romantics) and Save
your heart (Anywhere but here) and they do not disappoint on this album, with
‘Stay’. The first half of the song is a perfect combination of piano and Derek
Sander’s vocals, and even as the band begins to pay along, it does not lose its
classic and crisp sound.
Other tracks include ‘Happy Endings are stories that haven’t
ended yet’ and ‘without the bitter the sweet isn’t as sweet’. Every track seems
to express a new depth of feeling from the band, which is much different to
that of ‘Anywhere but here’ which had an oddly heavy tone for the band, and
sounded slightly angry.
I would say we can expect more of the same from Mayday
Parade in the future, but this album certainly should make people sit up and
notice them again.
8/10
