Mad Rad’s “The Youth Die Young”

Mad Rad ain't growing old without a fight. (Photo courtesy of madradmusic.com)

The age of the bromance isn’t over yet for the four dudes of Seattle’s Mad Rad. The crew may still be battling a bleary hangover two years after their debut release, but their sophomore album, The Youth Die Young is not so much an abandonment of the burn-down-this-club energy as much as a pause in their wild and destructive night. The album, out tomorrow, is more balanced in its intensity than its predecessor, but shrouded in a disquieting self reflection that has them poised on the brink. Whether they’re headed to further abandon or imploding meltdown is unclear.

Buffalo Madonna, Terry Radjaw, P Smoov and DJ Darin burst onto the eclectic Seattle hip-hop scene with 2008’s White Gold, a raucous, electro-drenched effort that provided dance fodder for their infamous live performances. Through 2009, Mad Rad became the band to see in the city—not necessarily for their music, but for their aggressive, fuck-it-all concerts.

Mad Rad goes electric

Mad Rad's going bananas. (Photo courtesy of myspace.com/madandrad)

The four members of electro hip-hop group Mad Rad–P Smoov, Buffalo Madonna, Terry Radjaw and DJ Darin–may be known more for their antics than their music. But their set at this year’s Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle showed that Mad Rad’s frenetic brand of vocoder-laced, synth-jacked rap is legit. And seriously catchy.