[Bandcamp blurb:] Chicago, 2023. The no-coast metropolis is hustlin’ and bustlin’, and overworked, underpaid, zombified bodies are moving from point A to point B to point C to point A, doomed to tread this worn-out path till they punch the one-way ticket to Death’s Elevator six-feet under. Isn’t it all so…mundane?

CONSENSUS MADNESS, one of the city’s current heavy-hitters, tackles these themes on their 2023 demo. Acting as a follow-up to their self-titled 7” on IRON LUNG RECORDS, this tape acts as an early-morning wake-up call delivered by the most jaded, frustrated, and exhausted hotel concierge. The five tracks featured on this glorious hunk-of-plastic tackle the ramifications of capitalism: the lack of time, the lack of resources, and the lack of care to be another cog in the machine. These ideas are backed by a steady, powerful rhythm section to accompany bright, sharp guitars and snidely delivered vocals. The result is a modern take on proto- and first-wave punk with hints of egg-leaning hardcore, beckoning for the listener to pogo till their legs give out.