Mayday Parade - A Lesson In Romantics (Anniversary Edition) (2017)

Mayday Parade arose from the merger of two popular Tallahassee local bands, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment, whose combination helped the emo pop unit amass a quick buzz around its hometown scene. The sextet was initially comprised of vocalist Derek Sanders, vocalist/guitarist Jason Lancaster, bassist/vocalist Jeremy Lenzo, drummer Jake Bundrick, and guitarists Alex Garcia and Brooks Betts. After playing shows on the 2005 Warped Tour, along with sporadic gigs alongside bands like Armor for Sleep, the Rocket Summer, the Starting Line, and Emery, the band hooked up with Fearless Records in August 2006 and released its debut EP, Tales Told by Dead Friends, three months later. Lancaster left Mayday Parade in March 2007 and formed Go Radio; meanwhile, Mayday Parade signed with Atlantic Records and issued their first album without Lancaster, Anywhere But Here, in late 2009. The group's Fearless-issued, eponymous third long player arrived in 2011 and peaked at the number 12 spot on the Billboard Top 200. The Zack Odom- and Kenneth Mount-produced Monsters in the Closet followed in early 2013 (along with a deluxe edition the following year). In 2015, the band released its fifth album, Black Lines. ~ Corey Apar.