Review: Mayday Parade’s Sad Proves Nostalgia Still Hurts So Good

Mayday Parade are 20 years deep into their career, but Sad doesn’t sound like a band looking backwards — it sounds like a band who’ve figured out how to make nostalgia sting in all the right ways. This is the second part of their anniversary trilogy, and honestly, it might be their most emotionally dialed-in work in years.

The opener, It’s Not All Bad, sets the tone with that classic Mayday guitar chug that feels instantly familiar, kicking the door down into an emotional snowball. Then you hit Under My Sweater — already a fan favourite and probably one of the strongest tracks here. It’s emo in its purest form: heartfelt, catchy, and proudly wearing its early-2000s influences on its sleeve.

Promises takes things sideways in the best way, leaning into a folk vibe without losing that pop-punk lift. The chorus is huge, one of those earworms that’ll keep circling in your head for days. But the real gem is One Day At A Time. If any track from this record has the power to stop you in your tracks, it’s this one. It’s reflective, honest, and the chorus just hits like a sucker punch to the chest — Mayday Parade doing what they do best: making you feel.

Things lighten a little with In Every Way, Shape Or Form. It’s upbeat, packed with big instrumentals and a chorus so catchy you’ll be tempted to run it back more than once. Breakup Song is a cheeky curveball — don’t let the title fool you. Instead of wallowing, it drives with an energy that’ll have you bobbing your head instead of sulking into your hoodie. And just when you think they’ve given all they’ve got, closer I Must Obey The Inscrutable Exhortations Of My Soul wraps it all up with a strong finish — big, cinematic, and the kind of closer that makes you want to start the whole thing again.

Sad isn’t the kind of record you throw on at a party. It’s the one you blast in your headphones during a late-night walk when you need music to match the noise in your head. Instrumentally, it’s tight. Lyrically, it’ll pull you in and keep you from skipping a single track. It’s slower, heavier with feeling, and you can’t help but wonder: who hurt them this time? Whatever the answer, we’re glad they did, because Mayday Parade have delivered an album that proves after two decades, they’ve still got the ability to break your heart and heal it in the same breath.

82/100