ISLAND VIBE
Latest ¡Mayday! album a summertime beach playlist
The members of ¡Mayday! took longer than usual in creating the band’s latest album.
It seems to have worked out for them.
“The process forced us to be more patient,” band member Wreckonize says of the album process. “We were sitting on some of these songs for a while. It made me antsy. There was also a little pressure in getting the album released.”
¡Mayday! is a hip-hop trio from Miami. Rounding out the group are NonMS and Bernz.
The band is touring in support of its album “South of 5th,” released on Sept. 7.
Wreckonize says that when the band members set out to make the album, they envisioned their ultimate summertime beach playlist for their favorite beach South of 5th and included an island vibe.
He says the new album’s 13 tracks are a carefully curated and take the listener through the skank and ska riddims of the Caribbean all while maintaining ¡MayDay!’s signature blend of hip-hop, pop, rock and R&B.
“This time around, the album was very focused,” he says. “For the first time ever, we knew what sound we wanted to go with. We wanted to focus on island sounds and focus on the beach lifestyle. It feels like we’re at home.”
Wreckonize says the lyrics came together in an organic way.
“It was like a conversation,” he says. “We work to find a common ground within the song and take it from there. It’s a very democratic process in the way we create.”
The seeds of the idea for the album were planted when the band toured with the reggae rock band Dirty Heads in 2016.
The new album was recorded at ¡MayDay!’s legendary recording studio in Miami’s Little Havana, Poppa’s House Studios, where the band has recorded and produced its last five albums.
“For me, the album was fun to make,” he says. “I personally had a time crunch. My wife had twin boys in December. For the first few months, it was aroundthe-clock fatherhood. The guys would record, and then I’d add in my parts. It’s a big addition to my life, and I’m finding a balance.”