Mayday Parade on new song "More Like A Crash," touring with Yellowcard, and nostalgia

Mayday Parade have released brand new single “More Like A Crash” ahead of a busy summer of touring. Speaking to Alternative Press, vocalist Derek Sanders promises that this is only the beginning.

“More Like A Crash” is out today and Sanders is excited about releasing the first new Mayday Parade track since “Thunder” and “Losing My Mind” last year. “It’s a rock song with a lot of energy,” he says. “It means a lot to me,” says Sanders. The song has its roots in ‘90s bands like Green Day and The Cranberries but that “shifted” as the band played around with it over the past 12 months. 

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“I don’t want to get too deep into it but basically, I went through an extremely messy divorce,” he continues. “About two years ago, me and my ex-wife split up and understandably, I’ve written a lot of songs about that whole experience. ”More Like A Crash” is one of many.”

He rarely thinks about what other people will get from the song but hopes it’s helpful in some way.

Despite “More Like A Crash” being a hard-hitting song, the music video is “silly and absurd,” he says. Set in the headquarters of The Mustached Men Of America, the song is used to blow away any fake ‘staches with its fat riffs. “A lot of music videos end up feeling kinda lame or cheesy so we at least wanted to do something different with this one,” explains Sanders. “If it’s going to feel ridiculous, we may as well lean into that and do something fun.”

Between the giddy video and that blistering opening riff, there’s a deliberate sense of joy to “More Like A Crash.”

“Obviously the song’s lyrics are a little dark but it’s about letting go and moving on,” says Sanders. I feel like I’m in a great place now after being pretty depressed for a pretty long time. The song is acknowledging that I went through this really difficult period, and life just does that sometimes, but things get better.”

Mayday Parade are currently sitting on a handful of other finished songs. While the band is still figuring out the release plan, Sanders thinks they’ll share singles before going on tour or at moments that “make sense.”

“They’re all a different vibe,” says Sanders, promising a ballad and some more uptempo, pop-punk tracks. They’re also planning on getting back in the studio later this year to record another batch of songs. “We want to keep things trickling out,” he adds.

Sanders says that because of streaming, albums get a burst of love when they’re first released but that’s quickly replaced by questions about what’s next. Singles, he hopes, will get a little more love and attention.

That does mean that every song Mayday Parade writes needs to be good enough to stand on its own. In the studio, the band are approaching things slightly differently because of this. “There’s a pressure for each song to be really strong,” he explains. 

When they return to the studio later this year, Sanders wants to work on some of the songs that are different to what people might expect from Mayday Parade. “If we’re going to keep putting out singles, that’s the time to get experimental,” he says.

“At some point we will get together and record a full-length album because albums as a piece of art are important to us, but for now, we’re just playing around,” Sanders continues.

“More Like A Crash” is also the first music Mayday Parade have released as an independent band since their 2006 debut EP Tales Told By Dead Friends. “We’re making sure we aren’t taking on too much, too soon,” he explains. 

The track was written with the live show in mind, which is just as well because in a few weeks, Mayday Parade are heading out on the road with Yellowcard as they celebrate 20 years of Ocean Avenue. “I’ve been a fan of theirs since I was 14 and I love them. They’re all great people,” says Sanders. Back in 2016, Yellowcard’s Ryan Key offered to stand in for Sanders at Warped Tour in case he had to fly home for the birth of his son. “I was having a hard time finding seven vocalists for the seven different songs and Ryan was the only one who approached me. It meant so much.”

Earlier this year, the pair shared a stage at Emo Night, with Sanders helping out with “Ocean Avenue.” He’s up for a repeat on tour as well. “If there’s a chance for me to come up and share the stage with Yellowcard, I’d love to.”

It’s hard to ignore pop-punk’s resurgence over the past couple of years and Sanders finds the revival really exciting. “It’s the kind of thing that helps out everybody in the scene,” he says.

“We’ve been around long enough to see a couple of these waves and it just always makes you feel a little bit better about this whole world. When We Were Young, the popularity of Emo Night, all those things make you feel like you’re still part of something big and meaningful.”

It does mean there can be a struggle between nostalgia and exploring new things, but Sanders believes there’s space for both. “We’ve had conversations about how much we want to play into the nostalgia act. We’re lucky to have these albums that are over a decade old, that still mean something to people, but we also put a lot of energy into new music and want to create things that are still meaningful. It’s a balancing act, but both things can exist.”

Almost 18 years after they first formed, Sanders wants Mayday Parade to represent “hope.”

“I’ve spoken to a lot of people throughout the years who listen to our band and many of them talk about how we’ve helped them through difficult times,” Sanders says. “I hope that our music can help people understand that going through those hard times is a part of life but also that there are good days ahead for all of us.”