Beautiful Oblivion, the third studio album by American metalcore band Issues, officially released on October 4, 2019, via Rise Records. The album follows their second studio album, Headspace, and is the first album that doesn’t feature second vocalist and screamer Michael Bohn, who no longer was a part of the band shortly after the release of Headspace. 

The opening track, ‘Here’s to You’ is one of the longer tracks on the album, approximately four minutes and thirty-eight seconds. It’s soft and ambient upon the opening, vocalist Tyler Carter’s voice quietly singing the first verse. Drums and the stringed instruments kick in, and the song gradually gets more upbeat and exciting. It flows really well overall, and is just a fun and vibey opening song that definitely deserves a listen.

‘Drink About It’, the second track and second single released from this LP, is one of my favorites. It is written so well both lyrically and instrumentally and is one of those songs that you can just relate to. And the transition from “Here’s To You” to this song is so seamless that it makes it all the better. A favorite line from the chorus is “How many times do I let you become all I drink about?” 

‘Find Forever’, the third track on the album, brings us back to the roots of Issues’ self-titled LP with the sound of the song. It features some of the echoing choir voices that we hear on their self-titled in songs like ‘Disappear (Remember When)’. It’s worth checking out if you are a fan of the self-titled album that was released in 2014.

A couple other songs that definitely deserve some recognition would be ‘Rain’, ‘Downfall’, and the closing song (and album title) ‘Beautiful Oblivion’. Ask me to pick a favorite from these three and it would be a difficult tie between ‘Rain’ and ‘Beautiful Oblivion’. 

The only song that I wasn’t a big fan of was the third single released, ‘Flexin’. It doesn’t strike me as an Issues song at all, and seems more fitting as a song that Tyler Carter could’ve released as a part of his solo work.

After a few listens to this album, it is clear that the band has changed their musical direction quite dramatically since their early music. In comparison to their old music, this album is less heavy and has next to no screaming, and is more vibey. It was expected, considering they wrote this album after Bohn exited the band. In no way did it make this album bad in comparison to their old stuff; I think it’s just as good and it’s something I would listen to just as much as their previous work.

Beautiful Oblivion is available to stream on all major streaming platforms. 

Tracklist: 

1. Here’s To You

2. Drink About It

3. Find Forever

4. Tapping Out 

5. Without You

6. Rain

7. Downfall

8. Second Best

9. Get it Right

10. Flexin

11. No Problem (Keep it Alive)

12. Your Sake

13. Beautiful Oblivion