Review: Mayday Parade 'Out of Here' EP
Fridays are the best days of the week, especially with new music to obsess over. Today, October 16, Mayday Parade released a mini EP consisting of three songs, bringing fans a small taste of hope in these times of turmoil. The EP, Out of Here, consists of three songs, yet in that short ten minutes we are still taken on the same rollercoaster of emotion a usual Mayday Parade LP would provide. It is no wonder that fans and the band themselves claim that “Mayday Parade is an emotion,” with the band notoriously causing mixed emotions into what only can be described as a typical Mayday Parade song.
Within the first fifteen seconds I found myself absorbed into my own little world. “First Train” starts off with major A Lesson in Romantics vibes, bringing me back to not only my favorite album, but a more simple time period. A time where Warped Tour was well and thriving and live music was a constant rush. A time where instead of pandemics our only concerns were about our favorite bands colliding with set dates and set times. Unfortunately, we are in uncertain times. The live music industry has hit an abrupt and indefinite halt. “First Train” acknowledges these unprecedented and unusual times while installing a hope for brighter times, adding that classic heartstring-tugging melody Mayday Parade pulls off well. I can not wait until I can “take the first train out of here” and “let it take us far away.” “So don’t hold on to pain from yesterday,” and realign our minds with this soothing and perfectly placed opening track.
Back in September, when Mayday Parade was first teasing new music, we were gifted with the release of the single “Lighten Up Kid.” A lyric video was dropped on September 24 and the music world was given a signal of hope. That song personally helped me pull out of a dark, cold, and numbing hole-- giving me a rope to lift myself up and see a glimpse of hope, and I know that I am not alone. “Lighten Up Kid” was the single with Welcome to Sunnyland hopes, a bubbly campfire-esque melody, and lyrics that everyone could relate to-- more so in these given circumstances we have found ourselves in. The chorus, “Lighten up a little, locked up, belittled, until you go insane. Taking for granted until you called my name. Lighten up a little, stuck in the middle, can’t help but go insane. That bridge is going to burn before you know. I can’t wait to say I told you so,” is a reminder to look for the silver linings because everything will work out in due time. Life does get better, and when it does, it will be beautiful. Verses detail the internal mental struggle several are facing, yet the chorus comes back like the hug at a meet and greet we all crave. The world hopes for the day that Mayday Parade can say they told us so, but until then, we have this song (and EP).
Closing out the EP is the song, “I Can Only Hope,” comforting us with nostalgia and a tearful tune. It is not a Mayday Parade album without at least one song that is a tear jerker, and this EP, despite its short track list, does not disappoint. Between the tears is a message of hoping that this is not the end and that live music will return. When I listen to Mayday Parade I always expect a flow of tears, yet I had no way to prepare for the gush that came with “I can only hope that the bleeding’s over now. I can only hope that the pain subsides somehow. I can only hope.” Perhaps it is the lyrics itself, or maybe it is the soft melody with kickin’ guitars that remind me of the best of Warped Tour, or the fact that it is the last song on the EP, but I still can not make it past this song without crying not a river but a whole ocean. In true Mayday Parade fashion, my heart is full, drowning in tears, yet full of warmth and gentle hugs.
Overall, Out of Here is perfectly crafted to handle pandemic depression and a longing for balance to return. While listening I found myself brought back to Warped Tour. The heat weighing down on us and the rush of running from stage to stage just to witness favorite bands. The joy of free meet and greets where band members provided hugs and positive vibes. The moments where you go off to grab lunch and run into Derek Sanders holding a sign, promoting their latest release and set times. While “Jaime All Over” may have been the anthem of Vans Warped Tour, we need an anthem to help us persevere through the present day. We need an anthem to bring us hope for a time past the hiatus of live music, an anthem that we can sing and relate to every damn word. Mayday Parade heard our cries and blessed fans with not only an anthem that speaks what we feel, but an experience to hold us over until the next chapter begins. “This rope we used to hold, well I won’t let it go,” and we will never let go from the rope that is meaningful music -- something Mayday Parade will always hold. You can find Out of Here on all streaming services.