American rock group Sleeping With Sirens recently released their fourth studio, Madness. I’ve always appreciated how SWS tends to change up their sound a bit with every album, but their last release, Feel, felt quite flat to me so I was a little bit skeptical as to how well this album would turn out. I had listened to the singles that the band made available prior to releasing the full album and they gave me the expectation that this album would be heavier, much like their early work. Needless to say, I was quite surprised when I heard the full record.
The album has moved quite far away from the realm of post-hardcore for the most part, with tracks Kick Me, Go Go Go and We Like It Loud being the only parts even remotely close to the sound that I would normally associate with the band. That being said, the softer and more emotionally deep sound of the entire album really suits Kellin Quinn’s vocal range and I find myself enjoying the album more than I probably enjoy any of Sleeping With Sirens’ previous studio albums. Although I take great pride in listening to music that’s a bit off the radar off what most people see as popular, I really appreciate the level of universal appeal that Madness offers. Pretty much anybody could listen to it and find some part of it that they like.
My favourite tracks overall would have to be Better Off Dead, closely followed by Save Me A Spark and November. They’re all really easy to listen to and all have a really deep message behind them, Better Off Dead in particular. I really love it when music speaks to me personally and these songs do that and more.
If I had to offer any criticism at all, it would be that the overall pace of the album is on the slower side. A slow, soulful ballad once in a while is fine, but the whole album was all over the place; it was walking pace or slower for the most part, with bursts that didn’t make sense to me. I would have preferred if the whole album was faster overall or if the faster, harder tracks were placed more logically. That said, I really like all of the tracks individually and separated from the realm of an album, can all be enjoyed fully.
All in all, Madness is a fantastic album and without a doubt will be held to high esteem among my favourite records. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to pretty much everyone who’s looking for a change of pace.
You can stream Madness from Epitaph Records’ YouTube channel here.
