American metalcore band Issues has recently released their 2nd full length album “Headspace” on Rise records. The Atlanta rockers continue to push the boundaries of the metalcore genre with a record full of different influences including pop, punk, r&b, and even country resulting in 13 new songs that are full of surprises.
At the core of the band are their two vocalists with Tyler Carter providing beautiful melodic cleans and Michael Bohn giving us the heavier, brutal uncleans. But even this tried and true formula is changed up on this record with Bohn contributing cleans for the first time on “Home Soon.” This seemed to work quite well and I would expect some more cleans from Bohn in the future. “The Realest” is an uptempo rocker with some funky almost jazz like bass lines from the charismatic Skyler Acord. “Lost-n-Found (On A Roll)” is a more high octane tune with lots of uncleans and a choral outro to contrast the heavier vibe. Working again with producer Kris Crummett and Erik Ron, Issues is able to achieve a cohesive sound throughout despite the wide range of sounds. Country artist Jon Langston helps out on “Yung & Dum” and “Flojo” has some fantastic turntable work. Lyrically the songs touch on everything from long distance relationships to abusive parents and social issues. In fact, one of the best songs on the album and definitely the most heavy “Blue Wall” speaks to the current problem of police brutality.
“Headspace” is a shining example of a band that is willing to step out of the box and challenge themselves to continually try something new and different. I can’t wait to see what this talented young band comes up with next.
