Tales Told by Dead Friends

Last updated
Tales Told by Dead Friends
Tales told by dead friends album.jpg
EP by
Mayday Parade
ReleasedJune 13, 2006
StudioEarthsound Recording,
Valdosta, Georgia
Genre
Length26:58
Label Self-released
Mayday Parade chronology
Tales Told by Dead Friends
(2006)		 A Lesson in Romantics
(2007)

Tales Told by Dead Friends is the debut EP by American rock band Mayday Parade, released on June 13, 2006. The group resulted from the merger of local acts Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment. With their line-up solidified, the first two songs they wrote together were "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" and "Three Cheers for Five Years". Soon afterwards, they recorded an EP, Tales Told by Dead Friends, with Lee Dyess. The group followed Warped Tour and sold copies to people in line. By the end of summer, the band had sold 10,000 copies of the EP. [4] This attracted the attention of Fearless Records, who would sign the band in late August. The group went on tour from September to November, before the EP was reissued by Fearless.

Contents

Told by Dead Friends has received a mixed response from critics. The EP has since sold over 50,000 copies. Several of the tracks would later be re-recorded for future albums/EPs or compilation albums. To celebrate the EP's 10th anniversary in 2016, the group are set to go on an anniversary tour and re-release it with a bonus track.

Background and recording

Mayday Parade was formed in the winter of 2005 following the merger of two local Tallahassee bands, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment. [5] [6] Kid Named Chicago featured vocalist/guitarist Jason Lancaster, guitarist Alex Garcia and drummer Jake Bundrick, while Defining Moment featured vocalist Derek Sanders, guitarist Brooks Betts, and bassist Jeremy Lenzo. [6] Both bands previously practiced in the same building, before it occurred to Lenzo that it "made more sense if we put them together instead of playing separately." [7] After composing "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" and "Three Cheers for Five Years", the group realised they had "something special". [8] Tales Told by Dead Friends was recorded at Earthsound Recording, in Valdosta, Georgia. Recording was handled by Lee Dyess, who also did mixing. Dan Shike mastered the EP at Tone and Volume Mastering in Nashville, Tennessee. [9] The group recorded the EP "as fast as we could." [8]

Release

The EP, originally titled Music to Dance To, [10] was self-released by the band on June 13, 2006. [11] Friends of the artwork's photographer posed for the artwork. On the artwork, the arm and phone were taken in two different locations, because the photographer "didn't like the phone he was posing next to." [12] The band followed the 2006 edition of Warped Tour, selling copies of the EP to people in line. [13] By the end of summer, the group had sold 10,000 copies of the EP. [6] These sales caught the attention of Fearless Records, [14] which signed Mayday Parade on August 29. [15] Fearless label president Bob Becker said the group: "were really believable, they were obviously good musicians, and they were really tight sounding. And we already knew they were hard-working." [6] Between late September and early November, the band went on the Text on the Dance Floor tour with Mêlée, Wheatus, Brandtson, Lakes, and Fall of Transition. [16] Tales Told by Dead Friends was re-released through Fearless on November 7. [15] [nb 1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Exclaim! Favorable [17]
Melodic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [18]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Critical response

AllMusic writer Corey Apar wrote that given the number of members in the band, their sound "should be much fuller sounding [...] instead of it being hard to even tell if there's more than one guitarist playing at a time." He explained that if they had better production, "this could easily be fixed". Despite this, Apar wrote that there is "still not a whole lot" to separate the group from other bands at the time. He compared Sanders and Lancaster's vocals to "sound[ing] pretty similar" to that of Fall Out Boy. Apar concluded that the EP was "a good starting point with a lot of potential". [2]

Ariana Rock of Exclaim! opened her review with mentioning the EP's "catchy fun sound". She noted the "layered vocals, clean harmonies and mature musical dynamics" could help amass a large fan base. She concluded with calling the EP "the start of something big, without a doubt." [17] PopMatters contributor Jason Macneil noted that the EP was "ringing with earnest melodies and Emo 101 trademarks". He called the band "a lighter Fall Out Boy or My Chemical Romance". He concluded with calling "The Last Something That Meant Anything", "the closest anyone has come to an emo-powered power ballad." [3] The EP has sold over 50,000 copies to date. [19]

Legacy

"When I Get Home, You're So Dead" would later be re-recorded for their debut album, A Lesson in Romantics (2007). [20] "Three Cheers for Five Years" was re-recorded acoustically for Punk Goes Acoustic 2 . It was later released as a bonus track on the 2008 reissue of A Lesson in Romantics. [21] "Your Song" was re-recorded acoustically for the band's Valdosta (2011) EP. [22] A vinyl version was released on December 2, 2013, limited to 1,000 copies. [23] To celebrate the EP's 10th anniversary, the band went on tour in November 2016 where they will perform the EP in its entirety. [8] They were supported by Modern Chemistry. [24] A 10th anniversary edition of the EP, featuring new packaging, a book and an additional track "The Problem with the Big Picture Is That It's Hard to See", was released on November 11. [25] A day prior to the reissue, a music video for "The Problem with the Big Picture Is That It's Hard to See" was released. The video features highlights from the band's career. [26]

Track listing

All songs written and performed by Mayday Parade. [9]

  1. "Just Say You're Not into It" – 4:21
  2. "When I Get Home, You're So Dead" – 3:29
  3. "One Man Drinking Games" – 4:39
  4. "Your Song" – 3:57
  5. "Three Cheers for Five Years" – 5:39
  6. "The Last Something That Meant Anything" – 4:53
10th anniversary edition bonus track
  2. "The Problem with the Big Picture Is That It's Hard to See" – 3:48

Personnel

Personnel per booklet. [9]

Mayday Parade
Production

Charts

Chart performance for Tales Told by Dead Friends
Chart (2016)Peak
position
US Vinyl Albums ( Billboard ) [27] 12

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fearless Records</span> American independent record label

Fearless Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 1994. Fearless is based in Culver City, California, and is best known for its early pop punk moments captured in the Fearless Flush Sampler and Punk Bites releases, as well as additional releases by bands such as Bigwig and Dynamite Boy; and later Sugarcult; Plain White T's; The Aquabats; Amely; and post-hardcore releases by At the Drive-In and Anatomy of a Ghost. However, the label has experimented with different styles in recent years. Acts such as Blessthefall, The Word Alive, Ice Nine Kills, Mayday Parade, Pierce The Veil, Starset, The Pretty Reckless, Underoath and The Color Morale have showcased post-hardcore, metalcore, hard rock and alternative rock bands that have emerged in recent years. Fearless Records' releases were distributed in the US by RED Distribution, but after Concord Music Group's purchase of the label in 2015, it is now distributed by Universal Music Group worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayday Parade</span> American rock band

Mayday Parade is an American rock band from Tallahassee, Florida. Formed in 2005, the band was a result of a merger between two local Tallahassee bands, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment. Their debut EP Tales Told by Dead Friends, was released in 2006, and sold over 50,000 copies without any label support. In July 2007, Mayday Parade released their debut album A Lesson in Romantics. Having been signed to Fearless Records since 2006, the band also signed onto a major label with Atlantic Records in 2009. Their second studio album, Anywhere but Here was released in October 2009 and their third album, entitled Mayday Parade, was released in October 2011. Mayday Parade's fourth album, titled Monsters in the Closet, was released in October 2013. Their fifth album, titled Black Lines, was released October 2015. In April 2018, the band signed to Rise Records and released their sixth studio album Sunnyland on June 15, 2018. Their seventh studio album, What It Means To Fall Apart, was released in November 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierce the Veil</span> American rock band

Pierce the Veil is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 2006. Founded by brothers Vic and Mike Fuentes after the disbanding of Before Today, which formed out of the San Diego punk rock scene. Other band members include Jaime Preciado (bass) and Tony Perry.

<i>A Lesson in Romantics</i> 2007 studio album by Mayday Parade

A Lesson in Romantics is the debut studio album by American rock band Mayday Parade. The band resulted from a merger of two separate bands, Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment. In June 2006 the band released an EP, Tales Told by Dead Friends, which they sold to people by following the 2006 edition of Warped Tour and offering copies; it eventually sold 10,000 copies. The band signed to Fearless Records in August. A Lesson in Romantics was recorded in early 2007 with producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount. Vocalist/guitarist Jason Lancaster left the band in March 2007 citing a lack of writing credit on the band's releases. Prior to the release of A Lesson in Romantics, "Black Cat", "When I Get Home, You're So Dead", and "Jamie All Over" were made available for streaming. After the album's release, the band participated in the 2007 edition of Warped Tour.

<i>Shh, Just Go with It</i> 2008 studio album by Every Avenue

Shh, Just Go with It is the debut studio album by American pop punk band Every Avenue, released on February 19, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go Radio</span> American rock band

Go Radio was an American rock band from Tallahassee, Florida, formed by former Mayday Parade vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Jason Lancaster in April 2007.

<i>Anywhere but Here</i> (Mayday Parade album) 2009 studio album by Mayday Parade

Anywhere but Here is the second studio album by American rock band Mayday Parade, released on October 6, 2009. In January 2009 the band started writing Anywhere but Here, working with several co-writers. The band signed to Atlantic in March 2009. Later that month, the band started recording at House of Loud in Elmwood Park, New Jersey. The album's production was handled by producer David Bendeth. "The Silence" was released as a single in August and was followed by Anywhere but Here, released through Fearless Records, a couple of months later. "Kids in Love" was released as a single in May 2010. "Anywhere but Here" was released as a single in September.

Artist vs. Poet was an American power pop band from Fort Worth, Texas, United States, formed in late 2007 by Jason Dean, Craig Calloway, Jeff Olsen, Patrick Rigden, Joe Kirkland, Joe Westbrook, and Tarcy Thomason. After many changes in the band, Artist vs Poet is made up of Joe Kirkland, on vocals, guitar and keyboards, and Jason Dean, on bass and drums. Kirkland was also a contestant in the third season of the American NBC reality show The Voice.

<i>Lucky Street</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Go Radio

Lucky Street is the debut studio album by American rock band Go Radio. Produced by Tim O'Heir and mixed by James Paul Wisner, Lucky Street was released March 1, 2011 on Fearless Records.

<i>Valdosta</i> (EP) 2011 EP by Mayday Parade

Valdosta is an acoustic EP from Tallahassee rock band Mayday Parade.

<i>Mayday Parade</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Mayday Parade

Mayday Parade is the third studio album by American rock band Mayday Parade. It was released by Fearless on October 4, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonight Alive</span> Australian rock band

Tonight Alive are an Australian rock band from Sydney. As of 2018, the band consists of lead vocalist Jenna McDougall, guitarist Jake Hardy, bassist Cameron Adler, and drummer Matty Best.

Jason Lancaster is a singer-songwriter born in Tallahassee, Florida. He was the co-lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist in Mayday Parade as well as the lead vocalist/guitarist/pianist in Go Radio. Since Go Radio's breakup shortly after their participation in the Vans Warped Tour, Lancaster has pursued a solo career. He released his first self-titled album, As You Are, in 2014.

<i>Monsters in the Closet</i> (Mayday Parade album) 2013 studio album by Mayday Parade

Monsters in the Closet is the fourth studio album by American rock band Mayday Parade. Recorded between March and June 2013, the album was produced by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount. It was released in October 2013 by Fearless and sold 30,000 copies in its first week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayday Parade discography</span>

Mayday Parade, an American rock band have released seven studio albums, three extended plays, and 29 singles. The group has also made 27 music videos of their songs. As of July 2013, the band has sold 600,000 copies of their albums and 3,000,000 copies of their songs. The group's debut album, A Lesson in Romantics released on July 10, 2007, and a track from that album, "Miserable at Best", have been certified Gold by the RIAA. Their second studio album, Anywhere but Here was released on October 6, 2009 and peaked at number 31 on the US Billboard 200. Their self-titled third studio album was released on October 4, 2011. They released a cover of "Somebody That I Used to Know" in 2012 and the song peaked at number 19 on the US Heatseekers Songs chart.

<i>Maybe This Place Is the Same and Were Just Changing</i> 2014 studio album by Real Friends

Maybe This Place Is the Same and We're Just Changing is the debut studio album by American rock band Real Friends. The album was recorded in February 2014 with Seth Henderson at Always Be Genius Recording Studio. It was released through Fearless on July 22. The album charted at number 24 in the U.S. It also charted in the top 20 on several Billboard charts.

<i>Never Happy, Ever After</i> 2015 studio album by As It Is

Never Happy, Ever After is the debut studio album by British pop punk band As It Is. Following four self-released EPs, the band signed to Fearless Records in October 2014. A week after the signing, the band went to record with producer James Paul Wisner in St. Cloud, Florida, United States. Never Happy, Ever After was released through Fearless on 20 April 2015.

<i>Black Lines</i> 2015 studio album by Mayday Parade

Black Lines is the fifth studio album by American rock band Mayday Parade. Recording was done between March and May 2015 with producer Mike Sapone in New York. "Keep in Mind, Transmogrification Is a New Technology" was released as a single in July. "Letting Go" was released as a single in October with the album, released through Fearless, following shortly after. The album charted at number 21 in the United States. This is the last album the band released on Fearless Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milestones (British band)</span> British pop rock band

Milestones were a British pop rock band from Manchester, England, formed in 2014. The band consisted of vocalist Matt Clarke, guitarist and vocalist Andrew Procter, bassist Mark Threlfall, and guitarist Eden Leviston.

<i>Sunnyland</i> (Mayday Parade album) 2018 studio album by Mayday Parade

Sunnyland is the sixth studio album by American rock band Mayday Parade, released on June 15, 2018.

References

Footnotes
  1. ↑ U.S. Fearless FRL 30095-2
Citations
  1. 1 2 "Mayday Parade - Tales Told by Dead Friends". Sputnik. Archived from the original on 2022-01-31. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  2. 1 2 3 Apar, Corey. "Tales Told by Dead Friends - Mayday Parade | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 MacNeil, Jason (January 31, 2007). "Tales Told by Dead Friends". PopMatters. Archived from the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  4. ↑ Billboard Staff (August 29, 2008). "Mayday Parade". Billboard . Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  5. ↑ Apar, Corey. "Mayday Parade | Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Mayday Parade". Billboard. August 29, 2008. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  7. ↑ Niesel, Jeff (October 16, 2005). "Punk Rockers Mayday Parade Return with Their Most Nuanced Album to Date". Cleveland Scene. Archived from the original on August 27, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Sharp, Tyler (July 27, 2016). "Mayday Parade announce 'Tales Told By Dead Friends' 10-year tour". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Tales Told by Dead Friends (Booklet). Mayday Parade. Mayday Parade (self-released). 2006.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ↑ "Mayday Parade". Purevolume. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Fearless Records > Artists > Mayday Parade". Fearless Records. Archived from the original on October 15, 2006. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  12. ↑ "I Heart JLP". iheartjlp. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  13. ↑ Erickson 2007, p. 13
  14. ↑ Pryor, Terrance (December 30, 2014). "Mayday Parade: From following Warped Tour to selling out shows". AXS. Archived from the original on August 28, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  15. 1 2 Aubin (August 29, 2006). "Fearless signs Mayday Parade". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 28, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  16. ↑ Tao, Paul (September 12, 2006). "Melee's Upcoming Tour Dates". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on July 18, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  17. 1 2 Rock, Ariana (February 16, 2007). "Mayday Parade Tales Told by Dead Friends". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  18. ↑ Roth, Kaj (January 13, 2007). "Mayday Parade - Tales Told by Dead Friends". Melodic. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Drawing lines on PH grounds once again: Mayday Parade Live in Manila!". Inquirer.net. May 11, 2016. Archived from the original on August 26, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  20. ↑ Pham, Jamie (June 15, 2007). "Mayday Parade - 06.15.07". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on August 28, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  21. ↑ A Lesson in Romantics (Booklet). Mayday Parade. Fearless. 2008 [First released in 2007]. FRL 30099-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ↑ Manley, Brendan (March 7, 2011). "Mayday Parade - Valdosta EP". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Mayday Parade – Tales Told By Dead Friends (Yellow/Black Vinyl)". Fearless Records. Archived from the original on November 26, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  24. ↑ Sayer, Harry (July 27, 2016). "Alt-rock band Mayday Parade will kick off new tour in Orlando this fall". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  25. ↑ Ralph, Caitlyn (September 22, 2016). "Mayday Parade re-releasing debut EP with new song". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  26. ↑ Gogia, Nikhail (November 10, 2016). "Mayday Parade celebrate 10 years of first EP, release new song—listen". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Mayday Parade Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard . Archived from the original on January 13, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
Bibliography
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.