Weekly Recommendation: Versus Me - Continuous

This week's recommendation is a very new artist, only on their sophomore record. Versus Me unashamedly fuses pop sensibilities with both electronic music and smashingly heavy metalcore. Rather refreshingly, the band is very open about their aspirations to connect with the mainstream and display a desire for chart success and arena headliner status. Many bands choose to pander to the small underground music scene only for fans to turn on them when they make any waves so it is nice to see a group make an open and honest statement right from the start. A huge aspect to the band thematically is unwavering positivity, their goal is to connect with listeners and build a dedicated fanbase foundation from which to launch their careers. Now that you have a feeling for what the group is all about, lets take a dive into their 2019 record, "Continuous".

The album kicks off with "Give Me a Reason", which can be compared sonically to the newer era of Bring Me The Horizon, this sound has quickly infected a plethora of metalcore and post-hardcore bands and it's hard to see this trend ending anytime soon. By the second track "Far Behind" we get a great taste of what Versus Me excels at, which is seamlessly blending softer melodic tones with what at times borders on deathcore, making for an excellent balance of heavy and melodic. After several tracks it is clear the band takes influence from Issues, borrowing some of their signature pop style singing over choppy djenty guitars. The band manages to retain their roots in the metalcore and post-hardcore while drifting deeply into their pop influences quite often. As the track listing rolls on we get some surprisingly crunchy, pummeling, fast-paced songs like "Miss Out" and "Obsolete", intertwined with tracks that can be argued as full on pop ballads.

In all, this record isn't exactly something that hasn't been heard before but there are several positives that make this record worth a listen in your spare time. For one, the production is excellent, everything is perfectly balanced and smoothed out, creating the essential foundation for the record. There are 5 or 6 really strong tracks here that will be staying in our playlist for quite some time. The bands positive outlook and work ethic also greatly assists in enjoying their music as well. The way you perceive the people who create the music you consume can have a much greater effect on your opinion of the music itself than many people recognize. So while it's not a perfect record or quite cutting edge, it's still a very nice listen and gets a 3.5 out of 5 from us.