''Headspace'' is the second full-length studio album by American

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

band Issues. Released on May 20, 2016 on Rise Records, the band recruited

Kris Crummett Kris Crummett is an American record producer and owner of the Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon. Crummett started recording in 2002. He has worked with many notable indie music record labels, including Rise Records, Epitaph Records, Fearless Re ...

once more to produce the album. It is their final studio album to feature original member and co-vocalist Michael Bohn before his departure in January 2018, and is their first release since the departure of keyboardist and disc jockey Tyler "Scout" Acord. Despite this, Acord performs synthesizers and production on the album, and appears in the music video for its first single "The Realest". The album showcases the group's experimental approach to their signature

contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythm ...

hybrid sound, exploring elements of

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

, pop, hip hop and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

. The album was supported by three singles; "The Realest", "COMA" and "Home Soon". In support of the album, the group toured with

Volumes Volume is a measure of occupied three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). The defi ...

, from September to November 2017. They also performed on the

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...

in 2016 and 2018.

Background and recording

Issues began recording the album on January 23, 2015, and discussed a hopefulness in an exciting change in sound. Ty "Scout" Acord left the band, as an official member, a month before album's recording was done, however continued to record the album with the band. Recording sessions for the album concluded on August 13, 2015.

Reception

Upon its release, the album has received generally positive reviews. The record has largely been seen as an improvement over their self-titled record, most notably the guitar work has been stepped up utilizing jazz chords, more lead riffs, and choppy syncopated rhythms. Reviewers also showed their appreciation for a new mix of genres the band has tampered with including country ("Home Soon" and "Yung and Dum"), jazz ("Hero"), funk ("Hero" and "The Realest") and rap. "Blue Wall", regarded as one of the heaviest song on the album, features vocals from guitarist A.J. Rebollo. Carter rapped a significant amount of lyrics on songs "Flojo", "Blue Wall", and "Someone Who Does". The vocal dynamic between Bohn and Carter has been the center of attention, because Bohn had not taken clean vocal duties prior to ''Headspace''. Praising the album, Michelle Beck for Revival Media said, "Headspace is a mish-mash masterpiece of genres and one huge step forward in Issues' development as a band. You can clearly hear both lyrically and musically how much the band have matured in the two years since the release of their self titled album." Jack Appleby of ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

'' commended Carter and Bohn's vocal progression from their first album, going on to say that, "...Carter's hook might be the obvious spotlight, but Bohn's feisty verses set the foundation in a fresh way. Suddenly the band are accessible while maintaining heavy tendencies thanks to two strong personalities on the mics."

Track listing

Personnel

Taken from album liner notes. ;Issues *

Tyler Carter Derek Tyler Carter (born December 30, 1991) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer from Gainesville, Georgia. He is most notable for being the former vocalist and founding member of American metalcore band Issues. Car ...

–

clean vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Michael Bohn –

unclean vocals A death growl, or simply growl, is an extended vocal technique usually employed in extreme styles of music, particularly in death metal and other extreme subgenres of heavy metal music. Death growl vocals are sometimes criticized for the ...

, additional clean vocals * Adrian Rebollo – guitar, additional unclean vocals on "Blue Wall" * Skyler Acord – bass guitar * Tyler "Scout" Acord – turntables, samples, programming, keyboards, synthesizers,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, additional unclean vocals on "Flojo" * Josh Manuel – drums, percussion ;Additional personnel *

– produced, mixed, mastered, and recorded @ Interlace Audio in Portland, OR * Erik Ron – additional songwriting (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13), vocals recorded and produced @ Grey Area Studios in North Hollywood, CA * Neil Engle – engineering * Anthony Reeder – engineering * Jared Lee – additional songwriting on "Made to Last" * Mario Marchetti – additional songwriting on "Made to Last" * Colin "Colin Brittain" Cunningham – additional songwriting on "Rank Rider" and "Slow Me Down" * Brandy Wynn – violin on "Yung & Dum" * Jacob Herring (45th St. Brass) – trombone on "Someone Who Does" * Peter Daniel (45th St. Brass) – tenor sax on "Someone Who Does" * Steve O'Brien (45th St. Brass) – trumpet on "Someone Who Does" * Brienne Moore, Keanna "KJ Rose" Henson, Chel Hill – choir vocals on "Lost-n-Found (On a Roll)" * Jonathan Thomas "Jon" Langston – additional vocals on "Yung & Dum" * Miles Toland – artwork * Alan Ashcraft (Rise Records) – layout * Sean Heydorn (Rise Records) – album commissioner * Mark Mercado, John Youngman (Fly South Music Group) – management * Dave Shapiro, Tom Taaffe (United Talent Agency) – booking * Bryan K. Christner, ESQ. – legal

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2016 albums Issues (band) albums Rise Records albums Albums produced by Kris Crummett Albums produced by Erik Ron