Issues announce split and farewell shows following frontman accusations

Issues have announced their final farewell shows before their split due to the allegations made against their former frontman.

In 2020, then-frontman Tyler Carter was accused of grooming a 14-year old and sexually assaulting them whilst “passed out drunk”. The remaining members of Issues issued a statement saying they would no longer work with him: “We believe survivors,” the band said.

Carter responded with his own statement, saying he “no doubt made mistakes… crossed boundaries… and had trouble with understanding influence and power dynamics.”

Nearly four years later, the band have finally announced their split, along with a set of farewell shows scheduled for January. The band will play Anaheim’s House of Blues on January 19, Chicago’s House of Blues on January 20 and Atlanta’s The Masquerade on January 27. Tickets can be purchased here.

In a statement made on November 17, they began: “Issues has been a central figure in our lives since 2012.”

“We’ve played countless shows, toured almost every continent, met thousands of people, and made so many friends in our peers and travel companions. The importance of this band to our lives cannot be overstated. So many of you were right there with us.

“2020 hit us as hard as it could possibly hit a band. Tours canceled after we paid the deposits, new album cycle cut short, and the last any of you guys heard from us was when we fired our singer. All of these were incredibly traumatic experiences, not only for us, but also the fans to whom our music means the most. Life changed for the three of us after 2020 in significant ways that made making Issues our full time job impossible, but it doesn’t feel right to end our story in tragedy. We feel very strongly that the legacy we want to leave be a positive one.

“These shows are the final chapter in a long history of pushing the limits of composition, musicianship, and culture in every way we could. We want them to contextualize our body of work over the controversy and member changes and gossip and bullshit and to stand as a monument to the 3 real muffuckas still standing, the music we’re so proud of, and the fans still with us. If this band has ever meant anything to you we want you to be proud of being a part of this too. Proud of the gigs you’ve seen, the tattoos you got, the friends you made. So we’re putting this shit to bed in true Issues fashion. Very, very loudly.”

Issues have released three albums: their 2014 self-titled debut, 2016’s ‘Headspace’, and 2019’s ‘Beautiful Oblivion’.