Madness (Deluxe Edition) Sleeping With Sirens

• 1Kick Me02:32
• 2Go Go Go02:48
• 3Gold03:32
• 4Save Me A Spark03:39
• 5Fly03:35
• 6The Strays02:58
• 7Left Alone03:21
• 8Better Off Dead03:04
• 9We Like It Loud02:18
• 10Heroine03:36
• 11November03:29
• 12Madness02:43
• 13Don't Say Anything03:16
• 14Parasites02:56
• 152 Chord04:50
• Total Runtime48:37

Info for Madness (Deluxe Edition)

The fourth studio long-player from the emotionally charged Orlando, Florida-bred, Grand Rapids, Michigan-based, melodic post-hardcore unit, Madness is also Sleeping with Sirens' debut for Epitaph Records, and it doubles down on the band's more populist leanings, offering up a slick, smart, and deliriously catchy set of punk-infused, modern rock radio fodder built around the distinctive tenor of frontman Kellin Quinn.

Opening with the one-two punch of 'Kick Me' and 'Go Go Go,' a double haymaker of sugary punk-pop shot through with enough generalized dystopian angst to rouse even the most medicated teenage outlier, the 13-song set is as infectious as it is perfectly contoured. One of the band's greatest strengths, outside of Quinn's explosive-tipped arrow of a voice (it invokes the post-Sunny Day Real Estate pop acumen of Jeremy Enigk), is their penchant for pairing vitriol with hope, and Madness, despite its foundation of heavy-heartedness, always allows the listener an emotional out.

This is primal scream therapy, not just tone-deaf rebellion, and even though the subject matter lacks any sort of specificity, there's a real attempt to connect here, and that lends the album some weight, even as it occasionally spirals off into paint-by-numbers key changes and formulaic, anthemic choruses. Also, the streamlined production, while effective throughout much of the LP, often renders Quinn's expressive croon into a soulless, mechanized bleat -- pitch correct should only be applied to vocalists that actually need it. That said, Sleeping with Sirens continue to grow both musically and (as far as the genre will allow) emotionally, and Madness is their most consistent and well-crafted set list to date, and while it may move them further toward the pop end of the hardcore spectrum, it does little to dampen their combustible core. ~ James Christopher Monger

Kellin Quinn, vocals
Jack Fowler, lead guitar
Nick Martin, rhythm guitar
Justin Hills, bass
Gabe Barham, drums

Produced by John Feldmann

Sleeping With Sirens
Falling on the more melodic side of the post-hardcore world, Florida's Sleeping with Sirens create a whirlwind of emotion with their yearning and aggressive blend of metal and emo influences. Formed in 2009, Sleeping with Sirens — featuring vocalist Kellin Quinn, guitarists Jack Fowler and Jesse Lawson, bassist Justin Hills, and drummer Gabe Barham — quickly caught the attention of metalcore label Rise Records, which signed them and released their debut record, With Ears to See, and Eyes to Hear, in 2010. The album launched the band onto the Billboard Heatseekers chart, debuting at number seven and selling over 25,000 copies. Their sophomore effort, Let's Cheers to This, arrived in May of the following year. At the beginning of 2013 the bandmembers announced they had entered the studio to record their third album, and Feel was released just six months later. The album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Madness, the band's fourth studio long-player and first outing for Epitaph Records, arrived in early 2015.

Booklet for Madness (Deluxe Edition)