Reading Time: 2 min read

4 out of 5 stars

Highly Suspect, MCID [Photo Credit: 300 Entertainment]Highly Suspect returns with โ€œ16,โ€ a dark but thrilling single from their long-awaited, highly anticipated third studio album, MCID.

โ€œIt took me 16 years to find ya / One second to love ya / Seven years to hold ya / One minute to lose ya / Oh, God / Where did I go wrong? / Oh, God.โ€ After a three-year hiatus, Grammy-nominated alternative rock collective Highly Suspect is back! Johnny Stevens and company announced MCID, their third studio album, following Mister Asylum (2015), and The Boy Who Died Wolf (2016). Of course, beyond the announcement of the November 1, 2019 release date, the band released two singles: โ€œ16โ€ (the song at hand) and โ€œUpperdrugs.โ€

โ€œ16โ€ appears as the second track on MCID.ย  Notably, โ€œ16โ€ has more of a commercial, โ€˜popโ€™ sound compared to Highly Suspectโ€™s previous work.ย  The change of pace is welcome, but donโ€™t get it twisted โ€“ the rock is still in play by all means.ย  One of the biggest selling points is Stevensโ€™ voice, which is quite colorful and nuanced.ย  As high-flying as Johnny is throughout, particularly the excerpted, aforementioned chorus, the songwriting has a legitimate claim at being the crowning achievement.

โ€œDo you remember
When you told me you were holding my future kid? Eh
And all the joy that that would bring
Well, I thought I was the father
But baby, itโ€™s not my daughter
โ€˜Cause babyโ€™s a different color
And baby, Iโ€™m not a brother
It was just too much to swallow
You ripped my heart out.โ€

Well, damn โ€“ what else can you say? When asked if this dark song was difficult to write by Billboard, Stevens said, โ€œIโ€™ve wanted to write the song for a very long timeโ€ฆ It was very hard in that I couldnโ€™t portray the story properly, but I never forced it. For whatever reason, the story finally came out correctlyโ€ฆ I have to write about what I go throughโ€ฆ I gotta get it off of my chest.โ€


Final Thoughtsย 

Ultimately, โ€œ16โ€ ends up being a winner for Highly Suspect.ย  Sure, itโ€™s an evolution in regard to sound, but Johnny Stevens remains as potent and fired-up as he was three years prior on The Boy Who Died Wolf.ย  Again, it is the narrative that puts โ€œ16โ€ over the top โ€“ in a good way that is!

4 out of 5 stars


Highly Suspect โ€ขย MCID โ€ข 300 Entertainment โ€ข Release: 11.1.19
Photo Credit: 300 Entertainment

 

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the musical hype

the musical hype aka Brent Faulkner has earned Bachelor and Masters degrees in music (music Education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and a freelance music journalist. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he's blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.

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