Human Issue - In Flesh LP out June 5th on Smartpunk Records

Human Issue is a Southern California hardcore punk band rooted in the raw urgency of 80s hardcore. Fast, direct, and stripped of excess, the band pairs short-burst songwriting with sharp, poetic lyrics and a strict “get in, get out” approach.

Founded by Hunter Martinez, Human Issue began as a music collective rather than a fixed lineup. Members are interchangeable, egos are checked at the door, and the band keeps moving no matter who’s available. If someone can’t make a show or a session, the work still gets done.

The original concept centered on collaboration with their debut EP, Faceless.Nameless (2022). Most of the tracks were recorded almost exactly as they were written. No overthinking, no polishing, and nothing longer than Martinez’s attention span.

What started as an apartment living room recording project quickly grew. Encouraged by close friend and drummer Sam Mankinen, Martinez turned the collective into a live band. Mankinen joined on drums alongside Matt Watkins on vocals, Ryan Marino on bass, and guitarists Dylan Moore and Emmett O’Reilly. With friends rotating in to fill van seats and stage spots, Human Issue took the collective model on the road across the U.S. and into British Columbia.

In 2026, the band hits full stride with IN FLESH, their debut LP, out June 5th through Smartpunk Records. Staying true to their original mindset, the record favors instinct over polish. Most songs land under two minutes, packing hardcore aggression, flashes of melody, harsh riffs, and relentless drums into a tight nine-track, fifteen-minute release. Drawing directly from the lives of Watkins and Martinez, the lyrics are confrontational and personal, delivered with unfiltered intensity.

Martinez shares on the records themes and lyrics:

“There’s a lot on this album touching and focusing on using coping mechanisms to get through day-to-day life. Whether it’s Trauma bonding, Drinking and taking substances, The over-use of technology in the palm of most everybody’s hands. Watching, observing, obsessing. Falling into a perpetual cycle of vices.

I’d like to say there’s a sense of hope or hopefulness in these songs. There’s dark subject matter but, through it all, I like to believe there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Or at least I try to. I’m not a pessimist. As dark as things are in the world, I still want to believe in humanity.”

In Flesh was produced by vocalist Hunter Martinez, Bryan Lothian (of A Global Threat) and Alex Jacobelli (Negative Blast), who also engineered and mixed, with mastering by Nick Townsend at Townsend Mastering.

In Flesh Tracklist:

1. In Flesh

2. The World Is Your Oyster

3. Vice

4. Circles

5. Clocks Bow. Trees Frown.

6. Waking

7. Medicate

8. More Of The Same

9. Observer