Mayday Parade has been delivering Emo ballads since 2006 when the remnants of Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment joined forces. Within the year they recorded and released Tales Told by Dead Friends. The EP became a huge hit considering its utter lack of any support whatsoever. After selling 20,000 copies the group joined a few national tours, playing with Brandston and Melee on one and Plain White Tees on another. The group is fortunate to have attached themselves to these tours. The exposure helped them sell concert tickets on their own.

The group is made up of Derek Sanders on the keyboard and as the lead singer, Jeremy Lenzo on the bass guitar and backing vocals, Alex Garcia on rhythm guitar, Brooks Betts on lead guitar, and Jake Bundrick on drums, percussion, and backing vocals.

The EP and the tour helped Mayday Parade secure a record contract with Fearless Records that very same year they organized. By January 2007 the new group recorded its first full-length studio album, A Lesson in Romantics. This should have been an exciting time for the group but the original lead singer, Jason Lancaster left citing personal reasons and alluding to conflict within the band regarding creative credit.

Mayday Parade soldiered on, joining the Vans Warped Tour in the summer of 2007 and crossing the Atlantic to play in the UK for the first time. The group kept on touring to promote their first album, performing on the Vans Warped Tour the next year as well. Eventually the group got back in the studio.