It's may be difficult to find a low key spot to eat in Midtown Manhattan around the corner from the bustling Penn Station, but it isn't impossible. This is evidenced by the fact we have not only a booth to ourselves but the entire back end of the Tick Tock Diner, who proudly advertise themselves as "The Largest Diner in New York City." Then again, it's doubtful that the members of Sleeping With Sirens even know what city they're in as they're well into the second leg of a five-month co-headlining tour with Pierce The Veil that started in early November and ends in mid-April.

Jonah Bayer/Myspace

Frontman Kellin Quinn and Gabe Barham have just ordered what only someone with the metabolism of a rockstar in their twenties would chance: Quinn went with the Hot Chocolate French Toast (filled with marshmallows) and a side of bacon while Barham decides on French Onion soup with Ketchup Glazed Meatloaf. Quinn admits liking his main course although the bacon "tasted like jerky" while Barham says his soup was "robust in flavor but had an odd finish"—and the meatloaf, while serviceable, wasn't as good as the one his mother makes.

Then again, Sleeping In Sirens—who also feature bassist Justin Hills and guitarists Nick Martin and Jack Fowler—are good at rolling with the punches. The post-hardcore act went down to Nashville in May of 2013 to record the follow-up to 2013's Feel (which sold 60,000 copies in its first week alone and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 charts) with Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Deftones) but once the album was completed, they started having second thoughts. "Kellin called me a few days after we got home and he said 'Hey, I'm not feeling this record' but even though he was the first one who said it, I think we were all thinking it," Barham explains. "When I was listening to back to it, I felt like all of the songs were good but as a whole it just wasn't right for us."

Luckily the band had recorded one song with super producer John Feldmann (The Used, Good Charlotte) and had such a positive experience that they decided to scrap their previous album and record what would end up being Madness with the Goldfinger frontman. "I think that when Feldmann is really into something he's working on he brings out the best in bands and I really connected and—I don't want to say it felt easy—but it felt really comfortable collaborating with him, you know?" Quinn says. "He pushes you but it's for a good purpose."

Correspondingly Madness captures the raw energy of Sleeping With Sirens but adds a sheen of slick production that will likely endear them to the pop world. From the stratospheric scope of the opening anthem "Kick Me" to the ambient atmospherics of "Left Alone," Madness showcases the dynamic diversity of the band. "Our older records are typically the heavier ones and fans always say they want us to write songs that sound like that but we don't necessarily write songs for fans," Barham explains. "We write the songs that we want to play and make us happy at the same time but on this record we kept a good mix of some of the older-sounding stuff as well as songs that are progressing in the direction we really want to go," he continues. "There's something for everybody."

Sleeping With Sirens finished the album before deciding who would release it and while they were courted by major labels they eventually ended up deciding on Epitaph Records, the independent monolith responsible for the early success of acts like Rancid and The Offspring. "I think if we break through into the pop world and get played on the radio that's icing on the cake. But where we are right now—as far as the venues we're playing and the fans that come out to the shows to support us—that's where the longevity is," Quinn explains. He adds that when it comes to running a band he's inspired by acts like Hanson who handle their merch and business themselves. "That's really the key because having a hit on the radio is something that goes away so quickly these days."

Jonah Bayer/Myspace 

Although Madness isn't officially released until March 17, Sleeping With Sirens are already playing songs like "Kick Me" and "Go Go Go" to a rapturous response live. "It's been great, people are starting to chant "Kick Me" really loud at shows now," Quinn says. "I haven't done the whole throw-the-mic-out-into-the-crowd thing yet because they're still so new but it's getting to the point where I'll just be able to sing those last little tag notes before the hooks and just hold [the mic] out and let the kids finish it," he summarizes.

Sadly we can't say the same about either of them "finishing" their meals but then again, they do have to play for a couple of thousand kids in a few hours. The meatloaf can wait until next time.

Sleeping With Sirens' Madness is out now via Epitaph.