Human Issue Brings A Record Birthed From Our Escapism
There is something weirdly poetic about Human Issues’ debut, In Flesh. Perhaps not in an excessive display of beauty or a situational irony. But it's poetic in how this 9-song, 15-minute debut is evenly broken in two by "Clocks Bow." Tress Frown,” an actual poetic monologue. Or how the following track, “Waking,” serves as a quasi-acknowledgment to the last spoken words of its predecessor. Or perhaps merely by the fact that the album lives by “you come alive in a vice,” in all of its interpretations. But mostly in the way its self-reflection causes pause in its shifts between a crowd of figurative and direct language, confronting a mass issue on a personal level.
All photos Courtesy of Human Issue
The human issue lies in the hedonism of the flesh, the mind, and the safety our vices offer, thus creating stagnation. In Flesh is a straight-edge experiment that offers contrast. It uses its understanding of patterns to tap into the very intimate state evoked by our need to feed an emptiness, and recognizes the cyclical nature it causes.
That comes directly from the lives of vocalists Hunter Martinez and Matthew Watkins. “There’s a lot on this album touching and focusing on using coping mechanisms to get through day-to-day life,” says Martinez. “Whether it’s Trauma bonding, Drinking and taking substances, the over-use of technology in the palm of most everybody’s hands. Watching, observing, obsessing. Falling into a perpetual cycle of vices.”
Applying that message are Sam Mankinen (drums), Ryan Marino (bass), Dylan Moore (guitar), and Emmett O’Riley (guitar). Together, this collective creates something that rotates in hopefulness and pessimism.
In that cycle is where In Flesh lives. A long hallway of examination rooms for the anxiety, sadness, relief, hollowness, and self-gratifying nature of our escapism. The record presents a conflicting view of hopeful buoyancy, with the weight of our self-indulgence creating something full of emotionally resonant sing-alongs and musicality built for the hardcore live experience. They confront one another in a highly expressive interpretation of the give-and-take of this relationship.
All Photos Courtesy of Human Issue
Even in those moments of pause, violence, and confrontation, Human Issue pushes against their own nihilism. “I’d like to say there’s a sense of hope or hopefulness in these songs,” says Martinez. “There’s dark subject matter, but, through it all, I like to believe there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Or at least I try to. I’m not a pessimist. As dark as things are in the world, I still want to believe in humanity.” In Flesh is out now through Smart Punk Records, and the band will be joining The Suicide Machines on the September leg of their 2026 tour.
