Issues - "Headspace" (Album Review)

Issues' 2014 self-titled album caught me slightly off guard. While I definitely didn't outright like it very much the first time I heard it, the songs wormed their way into my ears and by the end of 2014 "Stingray Affliction" and "Mad At Myself" had become songs I listened to a lot and the album, as a whole, just worked more than it didn't. It was during this time when Issues was grouped in with bands like Islander and My Ticket Home as leading a "nu-metal revival". It was a dusting up of the "revival" label as it was being thrown around a lot when the whole emo-revival label was all the rage. To the credit of Issues (and some other bands during that time) they really did take some of those nu-metal elements, put a fresh twist on them, and took a genre that had been long stagnant and freshened it up quite a bit. Their 2014 album sparked tons of interest, had helped the band maintain their buzz as they waited for the follow-up, and sparked the conversation of if these nu-metal elements work as more than just a blip in a trend.

Headspace, the band's sophomore album comes two years later and really has a heavy cross to bear. The excitement of the debut album had a lot to do with the whole "nu-metal meets R&B meets metalcore" vibe. It just turned out to sound really interesting. I think Headspace continues to build the band in the right direction. Michael Bohn continues his unclean screaming in similar fashion to the debut. He also throws in some clean vocals for good measure throughout Headspace. It works in some spots and in some spots it feels slightly forced. His clean vocals aren't bad, but it's tough to compete compared to Carter's excellent R&B vocals. With the band incorporating a few new things on this album and it being slightly more commercially accessible it does make sense for Bohn to try a few different things. It also helps stretch his part in the band out some as not just the token metalcore screamer. I think I end up liking it more than not most of the time. I've heard the argument that the band has outgrown their unclean vocal presence from some. I will admit on certain songs it almost feels like they have, but I think without those type of vocals it would lack the edge in the music that I feel like the band really needs.

Tyler Carter's R&B vocals on Headspace sound really good. If anything they have improved and he really does lead the album in a lot of ways. His vocal performance is one of the big standouts on the album. He also raps quite a bit on the album. I think it turned out pretty well. With his vocal approach he once again works those nu-metal influences in and makes them work.

One of the bigger questions going into the album was how much influence would DJ/programmer Tyler "Scout" Acord have on the album. He is featured on the album as a songwriting contributor, but he is no longer a member of the band. His presence on the album doesn't feel as standout this time around. It might be that some of the tricks he used on the debut just don't hit as hard on the follow-up. I still like the addition of the programming. I also like the various DJ scratches added throughout songs. It adds that familiar nu-metal vibe that was so common in that style in the late 90s and early 2000s. He's probably a huge asset to the band even if it is just in the studio, but it doesn't come across as quite as essential as it did on the last album.

"Flojo" is one of the better songs on the album and merges those elements I liked about the debut while slightly improving them. "Blue Wall" does a good job as well. It reminds me quite a bit of "Stingray Affliction". It's a little mellower than "Stingray Affliction", but overall it feels like the spiritual successor of that song. "Someone Who Does" sounds really Linkin Park-ish in a pretty fun way. I think you find a lot of fun sounding stuff on this album and it's mostly done well. I was expecting slightly more progression. Especially from some interviews when I'd seen the band kind of teasing at some big stuff on this album. There are some neat moments when jazz elements are sprinkled into the songs. The chugging nu-metal/hardcore "Korn-esque" riffs continue all over the album and they are there for style and sound but can get a little similar sounding by the end of the album. I was really interested to see if they could advance some of the sounds they were incorporating on their debut instead of just including them. Listening to the songs on the album I think the band is doing a good job presenting the sound, but it's not pushing the sound much further than their debut did. It's maybe just slightly different in spots but mostly follows suite with the sound of their debut, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Most of the songs on this album are just as good and some are better than the songs found on the debut. It all just depends on expectations of the album.

Overall, I would have liked to have seen a little more sonic evolution or pushing of the boundaries on Headspace. This is a good follow-up, but it feels a little safe. They really are one of the only bands from the genre I'm really enjoying very much, at this point of time. I've run out of patience with much from the metalcore scene. It's just become so bland, paint by numbers, and stale. I think Issues brings just enough to the table to be one of the better, if not the best, in the current crop of newer bands from the scene. Headspace continues to show why and while it doesn't feel as fresh as their 2014 album and didn't quite catch me off guard like they did in 2014 they still deliver a more than admirable sophomore album.