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"Stick Stickly"
Single by Attack Attack!
from the album Someday Came Suddenly
Released	June 4, 2008
Studio	Paper Tiger Studios
Genre	Metalcore
Length	3:31
Label	Rise
Songwriter(s)	Andrew Whiting Andrew Wetzel Caleb Shomo John Holgado Johnny Franck Austin Carlile
Producer(s)	Joey Sturgis
Attack Attack! singles chronology
"Stick Stickly" (2008) "Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3" (2008)
Music video
"Stick Stickly" on YouTube

"Stick Stickly" is a song by American metalcore band Attack Attack!. It was released on June 4, 2008, as the lead single from their debut studio album, Someday Came Suddenly.

The song became an internet meme for popularizing crabcore, referencing the head bobbing and crab walks in its accompanied music video. The track was met with negative reviews from music critics.

Background

The title, "Stick Stickly" is named from the Nickelodeon character Stick Stickly. The song was included in the 2010 video game, Rock Band Network.

Composition

"Stick Stickly" was written by Andrew Whiting, Andrew Wetzel, Caleb Shomo, John Holgado, Johnny Franck and Austin Carlile, while production was handled by Joey Sturgis. The demo version of the song was recorded at Paper Tiger Studios. The track was one of the first songs the group has ever wrote. The song blends screamo, auto-tuned vocals, heavy guitar riffs and techno music together.

Critical reception

"Stick Stickly" was met with generally negative reviews from music critics. Jeremy Aaron of AbsolutePunk criticized the song for its "over-reliance on breakdowns on the heavy parts and the vocal hook," and the use of vocoder effects that, "sounds like it was pulled straight out of Forever the Sickest Kids' album." However, he complimented the heavy guitar work and the unclean vocals. John McDonnell of The Guardian unfavorably compared the track to Swedish Eurodance artist Basshunter. Metal Injection remarked, "It sounded like two different songs from the same album being played at once... during the last 30 seconds or so, it sounds like a completely different album from a different band being played." Chip Norman of Buddyhead.com described the song as "the most-offensively-wack-song-of-all-time."

Legacy

In 2008, the video became an internet meme popularizing crabcore. The infamous part of the video that sparked the meme was when guitarist Andrew Whiting is seen squatting low with his legs spread in a "crab-like" stance. Speaking about the video's virality, drummer Andrew Wetzel stated, "We think it's hilarious... There's no such thing as bad press. People may hate you, but as long as they're talking about you, you're on people's minds." In November 2019, Caleb Shomo and Johnny Franck reunited and released a parody version of the song titled, "Thicc Thiccly".

Music video

There are two versions of the music video for "Stick Stickly". The first version of the video was recorded after the band signed with Rise Records. The first video was low-budget and shows the group performing the song on a bridge in front of a city (Walnut Street Bridge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) and later in a club, where a boy struggles to open a door to where the group is performing. The second version of the music video premiered on MTV Headbangers Ball on June 4, 2009. The video begins with a woman sitting in front of an old house. The video then cuts to the group performing the song. Throughout the video, the band is shown head-flailing while playing their instruments and singing, as well as cutting back to the woman who is now sitting inside of the house. Both videos featured Nick Barham as the unclean vocalist as both videos were filmed after original unclean vocalist Austin Carlile departed from the band. According to Shomo, the crab moves in the video was lead guitarist Andrew Whiting's idea.

The music video for the second version of "Stick Stickly" was filmed in Oregon. According to vocalist and guitarist Johnny Franck, their record label came up with the concept of the video. The band used the famous Charles E. Nelson House, which burned down in 2018.

Personnel

Release history

References

1. Markarian, Taylor (February 28, 2023). "10 Scene + Hardcore Subgenres That Need Serious Explaining". Loudwire. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
2. Martins, Jorge (2024-05-15). "Top 10 Era-Defining Metalcore Songs from the 2000s to Make Former Scene Kids Nostalgic". Ultimate Guitar. Archived from the original on 2024-05-15. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
3. ^ Enis, Eli (June 4, 2019). "The true story of the most hated metal video of all time". Kerrang!. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
4. ^ Connick, Tom (July 31, 2018). "It's 10 years since the birth of 'crabcore', the ludicrous metal offshoot that baffled a generation". NME. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
5. McElroy, Griffin (March 20, 2010). "Rock Band Network sales analyzed, top 20 songs calculated". Yahoo! Finance. Yahoo!. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
6. ^ Adams, Gregory (August 12, 2009). "Attack Attack!'s crabcore keeps listeners guessing". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
7. ^ Aaron, Jeremy. "Attack Attack! - Someday Came Suddenly - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
8. McDonnell, John (June 23, 2009). "Scene and heard: Crabcore". The Guardian. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
9. "Did ATTACK ATTACK! just put out the worst song/video ever?". Metal Injection. June 4, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
10. ^ Norman, Chip (July 12, 2009). "Crabcore Redo: Attack Attack! Make New Stick Stickly! Video!". Buddyhead. Archived from the original on July 16, 2009. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
11. Moore, Dan (May 13, 2013). "RIP Crabcore: Attack Attack! Are In Phoenix Tonight (But Things Have Changed)". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
12. Trapp, Philip (November 25, 2019). "Beartooth's Caleb Shomo Reunites With Attack Attack! Member on Thicc Thiccly". Loudwire. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
13. Mitchell, Corey (June 9, 2009). "Attack Attack!'s New Video Makes Me Want to Slit My Wrists". MetalSucks. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
14. Pickard, Anna (June 25, 2009). "Attack Attack! – Stick Stickly". The Guardian. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
15. ^ Leivers, Dannii (May 27, 2021). "Caleb Shomo". Metal Hammer. Retrieved July 8, 2024 – via PressReader.
16. "Stick Stickly 7" (Pink Vinyl)". Amazon. Retrieved September 28, 2023.

• Attack Attack! songs
• 2008 singles
• Rise Records singles
• 2008 songs