Album Review: Mayday Parade – Black Lines
2 min read
Kings of big, emotional pay offs Mayday Parade are gearing up to release their fifth studio album Black Lines. The album sees some incredible examples of brilliant song writing while still keeping in tune with the divergent sound that you know and love from this Florida band. It’s full of heartfelt tunes set to classic punk-pop riffs and high intensity tracks with ballsy beats.
Lead single Keep In Mind Transmogrification Is A New Technology is a 5 and a half-minute tune full of dynamism and emotion. Lyrically alone it’s a showstopper, with lines with such emotion: “I am selfish when I need you. I am the blister inside of the wall in the back of your room. I am the envy of what you’re afraid to write, and that’s fine.” Keeping on with power riffs and breakdowns is opener One Of Them Will Destroy The Other, which features vocals from Dan Lambton (Real Friends) and it’s a banger, and one of the more intense, heavier tracks from the album.
Slowing down the tempo you’re treated to Letting Go, another full of emotion, spouting a tale about self-pity and being stuck in a toxic relationship. Lyrically it’s quite simple with each chorus and verse repeated profusely but it works to really encapsulate the pain behind the words.
Unfortunately while Black Lines starts off strong with big, ballsy tracks it starts to lose itself towards the end with Until You’re Big Enough and Look Up and See Infinity, Look Down and See Nothing struggling to make a real impact. But it does pick itself back up with closing track One Of Us, the energy of the infectious riffs, punchy drums and powerhouse vocals return with Sanders really nailing the vocal strain in the verses to send you off in the right way.
Overall Black Lines is a very distinct album and it’s easily recognizable as a Mayday Parade release, but its clear to see that with each of their records the song writing ability continues to excel. The guys really put their hearts on their sleaves in these twelve tracks and it’s done in such an appealing way that it’s impossible not to connect to the emotion that’s exuding in each song.
