November 12th, 2014 
Scott Murray 
Artist: Sleeping With Sirens
Song: “Kick Me”
Album: TBA
Genre: Post-Hardcore, Punk
Last year, Sleeping With Sirens released their third album, Feel, and have been touring in support of it for quite a while, including the current world tour with their good buddies in Pierce The Veil. For the most part, the band has stuck to their unique sound, while bringing in a host of interesting guest vocalists including rapper MGK on their lead single “Alone.” This past summer, Sleeping With Sirens left their original home of Rise Records and have just now announced their signing to Epitaph. With that singing came the news of a new record in 2015 and perhaps the most unique Sleeping with Sirens song to date, titled “Kick Me.”
We have been throwing around ideas on how to improve our single reviews, and while blasting “Kick Me” through our offices over the past two days it dawned on us that it might be fun to let everyone express their thoughts in one thread. Instead of having one person on staff write 500-1000 words on the latest from Sleeping With Sirens, we could all share an opinion and hopefully spark a bit of conversation with readers along the way.
“To be honest, my first thought when this song started was ‘what the hell is this madness?’ I thought I had possibly hit play on a different song by an entirely different band, but then Kellin Quinn’s vocals kicked in and things started to make a bit more sense. Sleeping With Sirens have grown in leaps and bounds since their last release, or at least it appears that way based on the punk-tinged sound heard on this track. My guess is that the addition of Nick Martin on guitar helped facilitate this evolution, but perhaps it was in the cards all along. Whatever the case, I’m suddenly quite excited to hear the album these guys have waiting for us in 2015.” — James Shotwell, Founder / Co-Owner / Editor
“The noticeable sound shift here makes sense given the band’s move from Rise to Epitaph Records. Whether it’s label influence or the addition of Nick Martin on guitar, I don’t know, but it’s catchy and energetic. The bouncy hardcore-inspired section is fun and will surely make for some chaos in a live setting, and while Kellin Quinn’s vocals initially feel out of place within this style, once absorbed, the combination kind of pays homage to an MCR-type vibrance. Lyrically though, the band’s take on the posi-anthem couldn’t be more contrived and eye-roll-inducing. These lyrics have been written a hundred times over and SWS isn’t making me feel any more empowered by offering them up as posi 101.” — Brian Lion, Co-Owner / Editor / Feature Writer
“Pleased would be the appropriate term for the way I felt after hearing “Kick Me.” I slept on Sleeping With Sirens when they were getting their share of the limelight pre-Epitaph; (so like, up until this morning,) and I wouldn’t have listened to this new single on a regular day. I wasn’t huge on anything they’ve put out and I definitely wasn’t expecting for these little sound alterations to change my opinion of them. “Kick Me” holds a nice amount of contoured punk rock elements that I enjoy and it holds enough post-hardcore to remain a recognizable SWS track. I like this. I’m kind of looking forward to what’s ahead for them.” — Dana Reandelar, News & Review Writer
“So the new Sleeping With Sirens single doesn’t suck. The chorus has a nice bounce to it, the lyrics provide the type of punk rock upheaval teenagers today need. It’s good to see a band stepping to the plate and spreading some true musical angst. I can’t say I’ll jump on the bandwagon for the band’s new record, but I can say I’m glad a band from the decade decided to raise the middle finger.” — Matthew Leimkuehler, Music Editor / News & Feature Writer
“‘Kick Me’ brings out that pure “IDGAF” tone, comprised of a little “scenecore” sound to keep present fans happy, but this whole new direction with the upbeat punk and hard hitting tones- it has that revolting, taking charge type sound, and future fans are gonna get hooked quick. SWS is heading in the right direction with this and I’m excited to hear what else they have in store for everyone.” —Corbin Alvae, Staff Photographer
“With their exit from Rise Records, Sleeping With Sirens have debuted a new sound that combines the pop of Paramore with the punk of Billy Talent in their latest single, “Kick Me.” While I’m not so into the fuzzy mix on Kellin Quinn’s vocals, the catchy new tune was stuck in my head after less than one full listen. I can’t honestly call Sleeping With Sirens’ new sound groundbreaking, but ‘improved’ is fitting.” — Scott Murray, News & Review Writer
Sleeping With Sirens is one of those bands that I just really don’t care about enough to have a firm opinion. But with that being said, “Kick Me” does nothing for me, mainly because it seems disingenuous in both lyrical content and with the conversion to the in-your-face pop that the band seems to have drank the Kool-Aid and become poisoned by. The signing to Epitaph could have been a face-lift, but seems like it’s just a jolt from the defibrillator. — Corey From, News & Review Writer
“I have never listened to a single Sleeping With Sirens song in my existence of life until I heard “Kick Me.” After a couple of listens, I could honestly say I actually liked the song that was pouring out of my headphones. I was waiting for some type of generic breakdown-ridden song, but instead got this punk vibe that showed me that SWS has gotten rid of the chugging music label and brought an expansion to their sound. The chorus is really catchy, especially with the ending riff that really gets you wanting to scream the lyrics, primarily in the final 30 seconds. The move from Rise to Epitaph, as well as the addition of guitarist Nick Martin, definitely plays a huge part in SWS getting the success they have been yearning for. There surely will be a lot more noise coming from the SWS camp in slowly gaining world recognition.” — Ryan Kappy, News & Review Writer
“I’ve listened to ‘Kick Me’ a good ten times or so in the past hour, and I’m still kind of shocked that this is a Sleeping With Sirens song. I’ve never cared for this band’s music in the past – I could never get past Kellin Quinn’s grating voice and I’ve always been a little put off by their entire schtick. But alas, here we are. I like this song. For starters, the band’s attempt at making a punk-influenced song comes off strikingly similar to Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge era My Chemical Romance. Quinn’s voice, fuzzed-up and distorted, slurs over the pop-punk rhythm section and rock and roll guitar riffs. There’s no metalcore influence present here at all, and that’s a good thing. While the new single’s lyrics aren’t great by any means, the ‘fuck you’ attitude here is preferable to the faux-cutesy lyricism found in just about all of Sleeping With Sirens’ previous work. While I don’t expect a full record of this sound, I’m looking forward to where Sleeping With Sirens move from here. The band previously dominated the ‘Rise-core’ scene, with their last album, Feel, debuting at #3 on the Billboard charts and selling over 60,000 copies in its first week under Rise Records. The move to Epitaph is definitely a sidestep rather than the jump to a major that we were all expecting, but with a sound like this, Sleeping With Sirens have the tools to make a full crossover into the mainstream rock world.” — John Bazley, News & Review Writer
Do you agree with us? Comment below and leave us your thoughts on “Kick Me!”
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