Worrying so much about getting an email, that’s madness in the 21^st century. That’s currently my current state. They said only the winner would be contacted, but when? When? As I sit anxiously refreshing a page that looks no different than it did this morning, I try to distract my natural instincts by listening to another case of Madness, The Stick People’s. It’s a gritty reminder of what punk was bred to be and has a few cases of a soft heart that weren’t meant for me.

Usually I love a ballad of sorts, but when it came to The Stick People, I wanted it to stay fast and furious (no, this music has nothing to do with Vin Diesel). Songs like “My Everything” and “Misery’s Angel” might appeal to people who pick up a rock record and instantly head towards the slow tracks, but this time…I wasn’t one of those people.

The Stick People’s strength is in the heavier tracks. The tracks that reek punk, be it the radio punk of “Open Up” or the tongue twist that comes with “Hello, Goodbye.” Some advice, if you’ve decided by this point that you’re ready to take on this side of The Stick People rather than the softer one, then listen to “Madness” and “Think About That,” you’ll be happy you did. Also, you’re welcome for the heads up.

I refreshed only once while typing this out, that marks some sort of progress on my part and thus ends my strain of madness. But if you’re a fan of bands like Rancid or like heading out to see acts like Quiet Riot, then don’t let your madness end here. The Stick People’s Madness is out June 25th, check it out and go a little insane because musical insanity is always the best kind.