Mayday Parade are deep into celebrating 20 years as one of emo’s most reliable heart-tuggers, and they’ve just dropped a new single to keep the party going. “One Day At A Time” is the latest taste of Sad, the second installment in their 20th anniversary trilogy, due out October 3rd.
It’s a track soaked in that bittersweet nostalgia only Mayday Parade can deliver—reflective lyrics, soaring melodies, and the kind of emotion that makes you want to stare out the window like you’re in a mid-2000s music video. Guitarist Brooks Betts sums it up perfectly: “It’s a song about growing through life and getting better as you go. Correcting the past mistakes and understanding that life changes and evolves. It’s self reflection and knowing that no one is perfect.”
This new single follows “Under My Sweater,” which instantly felt like a time machine back to the early 2000s emo scene. Both songs see the band reuniting with longtime producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, leaning into atmosphere and introspection without losing those hooks that have defined their career.
And let’s be real—two decades in, not many bands in this scene are still pushing themselves like this. With over 1.4 billion streams, a stack of gold and platinum singles, and a catalog that shaped a generation, Mayday Parade are proving they’re not just coasting on nostalgia. They’re still writing music that can hit just as hard as it did when you first put their CD in your car stereo.
If you want to hear it live, you’re in luck. The band will be out with All Time Low this fall and are also set to hit the stage at When We Were Young Festival—so whether you’re catching them in a stadium or singing along in the desert, the emo singalongs are guaranteed. Tickets and full tour info are up on their site.
SAD lands October 3rd and is available to pre-order or pre-save now. In the meantime, go spin “One Day At A Time” and let yourself sink into that perfect Mayday Parade mix of comfort and melancholy—you know you want to.
