Islander (band)

Islander
Islander in 2014
Background information
Origin	Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Nu metal alternative metal post-hardcore hard rock
Years active	2011 (2011)–present
Labels	ESLG[1] Victory Outerloop Better Noise
Members	Mikey Carvajal Chris Carvajal Erik Shea
Past members	Ezekiel Vasquez Arin Ilejay J.R Bareis Andrew Murphy Chris Doot Andrew Fleming Eric Frazier
Website	Islander on Facebook

Islander is an American

The original members of Islander hail from Greenville, South Carolina,^[2][3] and have been playing together since 2006; they broke up for a few years and got together under the name Islander in 2011.^[4][5][6]

Islander vocalist Mikey Carvajal is a participant in the non-profit outreach organization known as The Whosoevers. Some members of the organization include Brian "Head" Welch and Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu of Korn, Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D., Lacey Sturm formerly of Flyleaf, and motivational speaker Ryan Ries.^[7]

On June 17, 2016, the band released a new song, titled "Darkness", with the lineup of J.R. Bareis (

On August 31, 2018, Eleventyseven lead singer Matt Langston interviewed Mikey Carvajal on the Eleventylife podcast and discussed the music industry, growing up in the South Carolina, and navigating band politics.^[11]

In March 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the band released a cover of the R.E.M. song It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine). The release was dedicated to lead singer Mikey Carvajal's aunt, who had recently died as a result of the virus. A portion of proceeds from the release were donated to the NYC Low-Income Artist + Freelancer Relief Fund.^[12]

Music

Victory Records signed the band in September 2013, and soon released their second EP, Pains.^[2] Their first studio album, Violence & Destruction, was released the next year.^[13] The music's material was generally well received by critics,^[13][14] as the first single off the Violence & Destruction, entitled "Coconut Dracula", has since been a very successful active rock radio hit, as it hit number 23 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. On January 13, the band released a music video for the track "New Wave", the highly anticipated follow-up to the "Coconut Dracula" music video, which premiered exclusively on Billboard.^[15]

In February 2021, the band released a new single, called The Outsider. In an interview, lead singer Mikey Carvajal described it as "a song for anyone that feels like an outcast [or] is struggling to fit in."^[16]

The band has received support from many big names within the music community. Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D. said "New school band with old school soul and passion. Keep your eyes and ears open for these guys!".^[17] Brian "Head" Welch of Korn and Love and Death tweeted "A new, unique, sick band with a CD full of great songs. You won't regret getting Islander."^[18] Lacey Sturm of the band Flyleaf tweeted a picture of Violence & Destruction stating it was her "New Favorite Music".^[19]

Touring

The group toured with the

Their music is similar to Deftones, Glassjaw, Korn, Papa Roach, Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne, P.O.D., and Rage Against the Machine because musically it is alternative metal and rap metal, all the while, having a nu metal sound featuring the subsets alternative rock, hard rock, punk rock, and post-hardcore.^{[6][8][13][14][27][28][29][30][31][32]} Chino Moreno, Daryl Palumbo, Jonathan Davis, Fred Durst, Chad Gray, Sonny Sandoval, Zack de la Rocha are cited as vocal similarities to Carvajal.^{[6][13][14][27][29][30][32]}

Band members

Timeline

Discography

EPs

• Side Effects of Youth (Independent, 2012)
• Pains. (Victory Records
  , 2013)