Rylai is an artist from South Korea making neo-soul/pop music that is very modern in its sound and has radio-friendly appeal. With his new single “Issues”, he presents his talent in both performing and writing.
“Issues” begins with an acoustic guitar strumming a riff as a vocal chop plays in the background, washed out before a lead vocal, reminiscent of The Weeknd enters the track. Clean trap drums enter the track, but in a tasteful way that allows them to feel more acoustic than digital which is a nod to the solid production of the track.
There’s a nice blend of singer-songwriter and R&B on the song that co-exist through the bareness of the track. The bass in the low-end covers a lot of the urban-beat vibe but the upper frequencies have plenty of space for Rylai’s lead vocals to sit centerstage.
Rylai also shows his vocal chops by delivering across different vocal ranges with some falsetta performances. The composition is strong both musically and lyrically. The song reflects on the process of letting go of a love before it goes downhill due to the issues one may have. The hook has a nice catchy melody without it being over the top. The dynamic range of the song allows variance with the introduction also serving as a bridge to give a break from the beat driven energy for a set of bars. The mix is very lush with high pitch vocal layers in the background as the guitar continues to the midrange. The song inevitably fades out and ends at three minutes and thirty seconds.
For fans of pop-R&B artists like The Weeknd and are looking for a lush romantic tune, “Issues” is for you. We look forward to hearing what’s next from the artist from South Korea.
Written by Jon Kagan
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