Album Review: Mayday Parade - 'Sweet'
Reaching 20 years as a band is a feat to celebrate, even more so now than ever. With trends changing, phases after phases sweeping the industry, staying consistent in one’s art is something to be praised in the highest manner. As of 2025, emo staple Mayday Parade have reached this 20-year mark and instead of one party, they are deciding to party on and on and on in the form of a three-part album release, kicking things off with the opening Sweet.
Showing off the band’s unique style of alternative rock sounds and emotionally in-depth lyrics, they introduced this new era with the single and opening track ‘By The Way’. A quintessential Mayday Parade single, it is the perfect introduction to both this new era and this year-long commemoration. Proving the Florida rockers are still doing what they do best, knowing what their strengths are, this is only the beginning of a bigger and more beautiful picture.
There’s nothing more heartwarming than a pop-punk outfit going back to their roots. With the catchy guitar riffs and Derek Sanders’ powerfully punchy vocals, tracks such as ‘Who’s Laughing Now’ perfectly capture that summer-at-the-skatepark era of the mid-2000s. An era that many of their fans have loved and lost to time, and an era that the others wish they had experienced firsthand to its fullest, paying homage to the foundation of one’s musical career is not only fun to hear but heartwarming to witness.
Being pop-punk means never growing up and proving it was never a phase.
‘Pretty Good To Feel Something’ was the earliest taste of this new trilogy and fitting the irony of musical art, is the closing track for Sweet. With mosh-worthy instrumental power paired with the soulful harmonies in the vocals leading the track, it doesn’t say “goodbye” like a final track usually would or should. Instead, it knows its place; this wasn’t “goodbye”, this was “see you later” and it’s never felt truer when it came from a group such as Mayday Parade. This will never be the end, and this will never be “goodbye”.
The 20th anniversary for any music act is a time to reflect on one’s career and efforts over this time. From a young band of hopeful rockstars taking over the Warped Tour stage to seasoned champions in the field commanding stages and venues around the world, Mayday Parade is only the latest act to reach this milestone but this doesn’t mean the cause for celebration is any less deserved. They’ve come a long way from ‘Jamie All Over’ and it’s time the world caught up as much as the fanbase has. If they need some help, there is a three-step guide coming, and the first step is already the best one to take.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
