ATP! Album Review: Tyler Carter - Leave Your Love EP

Tyler Carter, known for his crooning vocals that breathe a soulful air into metalcore band Issues, is trying his hand at an R&B EP. Leave Your Love is a six-song venture into a soulful landscape that may not be what fans of his band are used to, but is readily accessible to music lovers across several genres. With the same catchiness of the current Top 40s spectrum, electronic beats borrowed from EDM and the sexy flair of R&B, Leave Your Love is a 23 minute romp through Carter’s new musical venture.

Opening with the static-y, staccato synth of “Sophisticated,” the 23-year-old singer gets right to the point with a great introduction that encompasses the feel of the entire EP. As one of the more upbeat tracks on the album, “Sophisticated” will undoubtedly be a favorite. The first single “Georgia” has one of the best vocal performances to be found amongst the six tracks. The lovelorn release finds Carter showcasing the entirety of his range over what is his most radio- friendly track.

That being said, the standout, without a doubt, is the closing track, “Find Me.” Written for Carter’s little brother, “Find Me” is a breath of fresh air in a release mostly centered around relationships and love. It feels the most personal, and the most relatable. What’s more, there’s a moment about three-quarters of the way into the track where the music drops back, leaving Carter’s voice as the centerpiece, and while the moment is simple, it so effective. The moment is goosebump-inducing and conveys the passion he has poured into the song perfectly. Not only is it a wonderful way to end the album, but it is also a wonderful insight into the singer. Listening to “Find Me” is like looking into Carter’s musical future, and if what is to come has any resemblance to this track, fans have great things to look forward to.

It does need to be said that at some point a couple of the songs do feel a bit interchangeable-- “Leave Your Love” and “Tears on the Runway pt. 1”. While both tracks are good, they just don’t seem to be up to snuff with the others that the singer-songwriter has served along with them. Leave Your Love is a great glimpse at what Carter still has up his sleeve, not just in his solo work alone, but with Issues as well. This could help or hurt him in the future, given he has set the bar quite high for himself, but only time will tell.

4/5

Victoria Patneaude

Leave Your Love EP is out now.