AMG Review of Anywhere But Here

Andrew Leahey
All Music Guide

Released two years after the departure of founding member Jason Lancaster, Anywhere But Here is Mayday Parade's first album for a major label. Lancaster wrote the bulk of the band's debut -- the very album that helped secure Mayday Parade's contract with Atlantic -- but his former bandmates prove to be capable songwriters in their own right, as Anywhere But Here wields a radio-ready mix of emo anthems and sensitive ballads. David Bendeth, a hyper-prolific producer who rarely works with bands outside of the emo/punk realm, lends his signature polish to the effort, resulting in an album that's both familiar and marketable.