On its Facebook page, The Issue lists “propane and propane accessories” as personal interests. This reference to the animated TV show King of the Hill reveals a sense of humor. However, there isn’t any humor in this Minneapolis, MN band’s single “Moving On.” It’s a hard rock exercise in the letting go of a relationship.
The track begins with a moody guitar groove, before going into a more aggressive riff. This moody guitar groove sounds a bit like The Foo Fighters. It then switches back to the moody part to introduce the vocal. “I’m not the one for you/You’re not the one for me,” which lead vocalist Clay Deters repeats. This chorus is sung more angerly than the verses. It’s a breakup song, but not one where one partner lashes out at the other. Instead, it’s more of a thinking-out-loud realization kind of lyric.
“Moving On” is from The Issue’s EP of the same name. The song ends with a nearly new-age-y sounding outro. This last part is a little bit like the sound of windchimes out in the backyard, after somebody turns the loud music off. The group points to acts like Seether, Porcupine Tree, Alter Bridge and Alice in Chans as influences. The act oftentimes harmonizes guitar leads, which is a relatively retro musical application, which never seems to get old. About midway through the track, there is a harsh scream, which leads into an instrumental middle section. There is also a vocal interplay where, “I’m not the same’ is sung both cleanly and harshly.
STREAMING:
https://open.spotify.com/track/0yIFAmpAUmc0d2Oc261tVj
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Breakup songs are as old as pop music itself. The most common types of pop songs are either those where someone is falling in love (or lust) or falling out of love/lust. Even though the song’s style is in the toughened hard rock vernacular, it nevertheless fits the pattern of a rather typical breakup song. With the line, “I’m not the one for you,” the listener is led to believe the group is still convinced there is ‘a one’ for everyone. The person he’s with now may not he ‘his one,’ but there is ‘a one’ out there, somewhere.
Before the song concludes, it slows down just a bit. It’s like the calm after the storm. The song begins with loud, faster, assertive statements, where as the song’s ending comes off more like a calmer reflection. Relationships can get heated when a couple is attempting to work things out. However, once two people realize they my not make the best fit for each other, they’re then able to discuss more calmly what their individual futures hold. This latter behavior is nicely reflected in how the track’s sonic progresses.
Nobody likes it when a relationship ends. We all want couples to live out that ‘until dead do us part’ statement. As we all know, though, that storybook ending doesn’t always play out. The Issue’s “Moving On” is just such an unhappy ending. We may not like the way the story discussed in this song ends, but The Issue handles it passionately and honestly. And really, that’s all we can ask.
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-Dan MacIntosh
