History Of Tomorrow
Mayday
The passing of time and growing older are themes that top Taiwanese band Mayday have explored before, on works such as Poetry Of The Day After (2008), and continue exploring on their ninth album, where they ask: “How did they get here? What comes next?”
“If we had never met, where would I be?/If we had never known each other, this song wouldn’t exist,” singer Ashin ruminates on opening track What If... With other songs touching on similar themes (Best Day Of My Life, Beginning Of The End), they cast their gaze to the past and look to the future.
In the five years since their last album, The Second Round (2011), two more members have gotten married, leaving Ashin as the sole bachelor. Perhaps those developments have prompted some of the introspection here.
What remains constant is the band’s ability to come up with compelling hooks that are by turns sunny, sweet and stirring.
One of the most moving numbers here is the poignant Here, After, Us as Ashin’s voice taps directly and deeply into the emotions: “Only hope that the future you will be happy/That’s what the future me wants most of all.”
While some of the tracks feel a little calculated – Party Animal fills the quota for a fast-paced arena anthem – the staunch friendship among the members remains genuine. There is a touching ode to their bond in Brotherhood: “Brothers, how have you been, it’s hard to imagine what things would be like without you.”
Fans of the band would feel the same way.
(ST)