OCTOBER 5, 2020
MAYDAY PARADE REDEFINE THE POP-PUNK SCENE WITH THEIR NEW EMPOWERING SINGLE, "LIGHTEN UP KID"
WRITTEN BY EMILY HARRIS
PHOTO BY Guadalupe Bustos
Mayday Parade, a staple in the alternative branch of the music industry, has just released their newest single, “Lighten Up Kid.” This track, released on September 24th, is the first song off of their highly anticipated and newly announced EP Out of Here. In the beginning of March members Derek Sanders, Brooks Betts, Alex Garcia, Jake Bundrick, and Jeremy Lenzo went into the studio to create the EP alongside longtime friends Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount. “Lighten Up Kid,” according to Bundrick, is “about trying to find yourself and the strength to keep fighting for what you believe in; It's about being or feeling cut down and hung out to dry but standing up for yourself in the end.”
Following the release of their last single “It Is What It Is,” “Lighten Up Kid” is a call back to their roots. The band has continued to evolve both sonically and lyrically, yet has somehow remained close to their original sound. Once live shows start up again, “Lighten Up Kid” can easily be placed amongst throwback fan favorites like “Jaime All Over” and newer tracks like “Looks Red, Tastes Blue.”
The track itself, a three minute and thirty-eight second confidence booster, is nothing shy of a classic pop-punk banger. Starting off with an intricate twenty second guitar riff, the vocals of Sanders quickly flood the listeners’ ears. With a catchy chorus and the usual booming instrumentals of a Mayday Parade song, the single has already amassed thousands of streams on Spotify. Alongside the single, the band dropped an accompanying lyric video featuring the five-piece in front of a green screen.
The EP that features “Lighten Up Kid,” Out of Here, is set to be released on October 16th. Following the release of their 2018 LP Sunnyland, Out of Here is bound to bring about a new era for the band. Mayday Parade has continued to push the envelope and redefine the scene and “Lighten Up Kid” is nothing short of that.
The track itself, a three minute and thirty-eight second confidence booster, is nothing shy of a classic pop-punk banger. Starting off with an intricate twenty second guitar riff, the vocals of Sanders quickly flood the listeners’ ears. With a catchy chorus and the usual booming instrumentals of a Mayday Parade song, the single has already amassed thousands of streams on Spotify. Alongside the single, the band dropped an accompanying lyric video featuring the five-piece in front of a green screen.
The EP that features “Lighten Up Kid,” Out of Here, is set to be released on October 16th. Following the release of their 2018 LP Sunnyland, Out of Here is bound to bring about a new era for the band. Mayday Parade has continued to push the envelope and redefine the scene and “Lighten Up Kid” is nothing short of that.
