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. The EP was released on June 13, 2006. 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. which was completed that same month. "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. 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. 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. 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.
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 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. 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". 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. On August 27, the band released the first single "
Ghosts" from their fourth studio album. The song peaked at number 46 on the US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and number 35 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart. On September 17, the band released the second single from the album, "Girls". On October 8, their fourth studio album,
Monsters In The Closet, was officially released. The album debuted at number ten on the
Billboard 200, selling 30,000 copies first week. The band headlined the Glamour Kills Tour in the fall of 2013. On November 15, the video for "Ghosts" was released. A music video produced and directed by Bobby Czzowitz, for the single “12 Through 15” was later released alongside a lyric video variant. The group embarked on a European headlining tour called the Monsters Overseas Tour from January and February 2014, with support from
Man Overboard, Divided by Friday, and Decade. In March 2014, the band covered "
Comedown" by
Bush, which was released as a single for the compilation album,
Punk Goes 90s Vol. 2. In April 2014, the group headlined the So Devastating, It's Unnatural Tour with We Are the In Crowd,
Transit and Divided By Friday joining as supporting acts. A deluxe version of
Monsters in the Closet, with new songs included, was released on May 27, 2014. They performed at the 2014
Vans Warped Tour. In October and November, the band went on the Honeymoon Tour with support from
Tonight Alive,
Major League and
PVRIS.
Black Lines (2015–2017) In March 2015, the band began recording their fifth studio album with producer
Mike Sapone. The group expressed how the previous two albums felt the same and how the songs were very similar in style, so they decided to work with a different producer in a new location and secluded themselves when writing and recording the album. According to Garcia, they wanted to "stretch past the creative limitations we could hear in the previous records." On July 31, the band released "Keep In Mind, Transmogrification Is A New Technology" as the album's first single. On October 2, "Letting Go" was released as the second single from the album.
Black Lines debuted at number 21 on the
Billboard 200, as well as topping the US
Rock Albums chart and
Alternative Albums chart with first week sales of 16,000 copies. Mayday Parade headlined the 2015 Alternative Press Tour with supporting acts from
Real Friends,
This Wild Life, and
As It Is in October and November. The group toured across the UK with support from The Maine,
Have Mercy and
Beautiful Bodies in January and February 2016. They co-headlined a tour with The Maine in March 2016, with support from
Better Off. Mayday Parade performed at the
Slam Dunk Festival in May 2016. The group performed at the 2016 Vans Warped Tour. A 10th anniversary edition of
Tales Told by Dead Friends, featuring new packaging and an additional track "The Problem with the Big Picture Is That It's Hard to See", was released in November 2016. The reissued edition peaked at number 12 on the US
Vinyl Albums chart. Following this, a 10th anniversary edition of
A Lesson in Romantics was released in March 2017, featuring demos. Producer Kenneth Mount criticized the band on Twitter for not giving Lancaster credit in commentary, "I'm slightly confused why mayday parades commentary for lesson in romantics never mentions Jason Lancaster at all, voice of 50% of the album...Jason also recorded all his vocals naked for a lesson in romantics, that should totally make the commentary. I've waited ten years for that".
Sunnyland (2018–2019) In April 2018, the band announced that they signed with
Rise Records and began teasing the release of their sixth studio album. In their announcement, the band said, "We appreciate the fact that they believe in our band still after all these years and we are so excited for everyone to hear what we've been working on." On May 3, the band released "Piece of Your Heart" as the lead single from their sixth studio album. The second single from the album, "Never Sure" was released on May 15. On May 31, "It's Hard to be Religious When Certain People Aren't Incinerated by Bolts of Lightning" was released as the album's third single. On June 5, the band released "Stay the Same" for streaming, before it was released as the fourth and final single from the album the following day.
Sunnyland was officially released on June 15, 2018. The album peaked at number 104 on the
Billboard 200. In January 2019, the band performed at 8123 Fest. In July and August, the band performed at the Sad Summer Fest. The band also co-headlined shows with
State Champs, with support from
Mom Jeans and Just Friends in the summer. Later in August, they appeared at the
Reading and Leeds Festivals.
Out Of Here EP and What It Means To Fall Apart (2020–2022) On March 5, 2020, the band released the track "It Is What It Is". On September 24, the band announced that they would be releasing their EP,
Out of Here, on October 16. They also released "Lighten Up Kid" as the lead single from the EP on the same day. The band's drummer Jake Bundrick stated about the lead single: "'Lighten Up Kid' is about trying to find yourself and the strength to keep fighting for what you believe in. It's about being or feeling cut down and hung out to dry but standing up for yourself in the end." Recording for their seventh studio album began in the summer of 2020, where the group headed out to Atlanta, Georgia, to work with producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount. Initially, recording started out remotely, with the band popping in and out of the studio to record batches of songs in three separate sessions. . On June 22, 2021, the band released the first single "Kids Of Summer", from their upcoming seventh studio album. On August 17, they released the album's second single "Bad At Love". On September 23, they released a third single titled, "One For The Rocks And One For The Scary", while also announcing their seventh studio album,
What It Means to Fall Apart, alongside the album tracklist. On October 29, they released the fourth single from the album, "Golden Days". On November 17, they released "Think Of You" as the fifth and final single from the album. The seventh studio album was released on November 19, 2021. In early 2022, the group embarked on the 11th Anniversary Self-Titled Album Tour across North America, Australia and Europe, with support from Real Friends, As It Is and Those Who Dream. The band released a new track titled, "Losing My Mind" on May 20, 2022. The group performed at the 2022 Sad Summer Festival in July and August, as well as performing at the
When We Were Young Festival in October.
Sweet and Sad (2023–present) On May 5, 2023, the band released a new single titled "More Like a Crash". According to Sanders, once the group returns to the studio later in the year, they will continue focusing on releasing singles and "work on some of the songs that are different to what people might expect from Mayday Parade." In October 2023, the band announced that they would be joining
Simple Plan on their UK tour in February 2024, as well as dropping a new single, "Miracle". In March 2024, the group released a self-titled
lo-fi EP, working with producer Less Gravity. According to Bundrick, they "wanted to experiment" with the genre and re-worked some songs the band had previously released. On July 11, the group released a new single titled "Pretty Good to Feel Something", the lead single from the band's upcoming album. In September 2024, the group covered Disney song
Remember Me for
A Whole New Sound, a compilation album featuring
pop-punk covers of songs from classic Disney films. In January 2025, the group announced a three-part album with the first installment,
Sweet, released on April 18, 2025. On January 8, the group released the second single from the album "By the Way", which was followed by the announcement of a North American headlining tour
Three Cheers for 20 Years on January 14. The tour began on April 22 and ran through June 6 with support from
Microwave,
Grayscale, and Like Roses. The following month, the band extended the
Three Cheers tour to Australia, with dates announced for September 2025 with
Jack's Mannequin and The Home Team. On August 13, Mayday Parade released "Under My Sweater" as the lead single to the second installment of a three-part album titled,
Sad. On September 11, the band released "One Day at a Time" as the second single.
Sad was released on October 3rd. The band confirmed in an interview with Valentino from The
Aquarian, the 3rd album would be released in Spring 2026. The band was confirmed to be performing at the 2026
Sonic Temple music festival in
Columbus, Ohio. The band are also confirmed to be appearing at
Welcome to Rockville taking place in
Daytona Beach, Florida in May 2026. ==Musical style==