Album Review: Set It Off - 'Set It Off'
Doing everything on their own terms, Set It Off are the best they’ve ever been on new self titled album.
The last few years have been characterised by more and more artists turning independent and making the active decision to reclaim their work. It speaks to the importance of ownership and feeling empowered in an industry that has a long history of taking advantage of creators and limiting their expression to what sells rather than what resonates. For Set It Off, the journey towards making the music they want to make is marked with the release of their new eponymous album, their first since starting afresh on their own.
‘Every previous album was so necessary for us to be able to find this sound. This is not the final destination, but it's the road we should have been running down the whole time.’
This album in short is a celebration; a celebration of their sense of empowerment through independence, a celebration of the many evolutions the band have endured to get to this point and a celebration of their dedicated fanbase who have been by their side through it all. Above all else though, it is a love letter from Cody to his younger self as he started writing music. He explained ‘the first thought I had was that I wanted to go back to that 19-year-old kid who just learnt to write music in his bedroom, writing for nobody else but himself’. The album represents their determination to build on everything they’ve already tried and achieved over the years; an amalgamation of everything it means to be ‘Set It Off’. Such is the reason why it had to be self-titled. This album is Set It Off as they always should have been: true to themselves.
Things kick off with ‘Pathological’. It’s a brilliant choice to start as it was one of the last singles the band released ahead of the album drop so for fans, it's an instant crowd pleaser. Cody Carson has always been one for introspective songwriting that is unafraid to tackle deeper issues and this track is no exception. A scathing takedown of the liars and manipulators he has endured through life, in his summary of the song Carson says simply ‘This song is for those who used my kindness to get ahead. I don’t need to name names… everyone already knows’. For those that can identify with the sentiments he is talking about, listening to the track you feel a sense of catharsis, as though those who wronged you are getting their comeuppance too. It's a strong addition to Set it Off’s repertoire of songs that act as a middle finger to the world and by listing it as the first on the album, the tone not just for the record but for this whole new independent era is set into stone.
Though it's a fact fans will know all too well, newcomers to the band will likely be taken aback by the versatility and range to Carson’s vocals. The album is a masterclass in what it takes to be a rock vocalist and Cody effortlessly showcases so many different techniques and styles of singing. On ‘Rotten’, it's screaming and creating distortion in the voice. On ‘Fake Ass Friends’, its screlting and using the chest voice to give the vocal line real body. There’s soaring high notes, B4s in ‘Worst Case Scenario’ a C5 on ‘What’s In It For Me’ and for those who listen intently a cheeky D5 on ‘Evil People’. There’s even some rap thrown into the mix too - the bars spat on ‘Parasite’ are particularly fiery. Vocally, a real standout has to be ‘SWITCH’. Cody throws everything and the kitchen sink at this one and his performance is coloured in light and shade. Something about how the chorus, which largely is sung in a belt, builds and builds is ended with the title line being whispered tickles the brain in such a way that only makes sense once you’ve heard it.
In honour of its ten year anniversary, the album includes a reworked version of one of their biggest hits, ‘Wolf In Sheeps Clothing’. Taken from their 2014 album ‘Duality’, its a track that as well as being certified platinum, has been a consistent fan favourite over the years. To commemorate it turning ten years old, Set It Off revisited the song and released it unto the world reborn. Its a sonic demonstration of how their sound has evolved and grown and though this rendition still carries all the fervor and angst of the original, there is a level of confidence and refinement as a result of playing the track live over so many years. Its darker, ballsy and reflective of the band’s attitude of not giving a damn. By re-releasing it, they’ve been able to finally incorporate elements from the very first demo, letting the song be played as it was originally intended. That being said, there’s accents and highlights here and there taken from the ways fans have sung the song and given its lyrics new meaning: ‘Baa baa, black sheep, have you any soul? No, sir, by the way, what the hell are morals’ drips with the comedic drawl and sarcasm it’s always deserved. Instrumentally, it feels distinctly heavier. The distortion, particularly on the chorus, adds a level of grit that wasn’t there before, meaning that the more accusatory lines land better and harder than ever before. In the process of reworking the track, they’ve been able to marry together the interpretations from fans and the intention from the original demo that was forced to change in order to fit in. They say with age comes wisdom but in the case of Set It Off, time has given their work depth.
A personal favourite that I couldn’t stop listening to was ‘Creating Monsters’. Another of the singles already out in the world, its one of the most introspective tracks on the album through the way it explores mental health. The title comes from how Cody visualises and understands his ongoing battles with anxiety:
‘..part of the battle with anxiety is being around people that don’t deal with it, and don’t understand. So we came up with the idea that it’s like creating a room full of monsters that only you can see… we want people to hear this and know they’re not alone in their struggle, but also be able to use it as a tool to somewhat come to terms with it, laugh it off in a way, and celebrate that we’re still fighting the good fight.’
Musically, the instrumentation is frenetic and chaotic, a reflection of the inner turmoil that comes with suffering from anxiety. There is a repeating melodic motif that appears over and over again, both in the melodies Cody sings but also in the background. Loosely based on Duke Ellington’s ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing’, the jazz influences turned metal give the band the opportunity to play around with unconventional chord progressions and sections in the chromatic scale. As a genre, jazz is often built on frenzied improvisation and was performed in music halls where the floors and walls would shake because of the reverberations of the instruments. Set It Off capture that same madness, only this time clothing it in studded boots and leather.
‘Set It Off’ goes to show that when you f around, you will eventually find out. The band have been threatening a more vengeful, furious approach to their craft for a while now and this album in short is the releasing of the beast. Unrestrained, that beast is now headed on a juggernaut of a tour through North America and Canada over the coming months. ‘Why worry?’. Set It Off have always been faithful to their fans across the pond and its only a matter of time before dates get announced. For those who simply can’t wait, they have been announced to be performing at loads of European festivals next summer including Download, Rock im Park and the 20th Anniversary of Vainstream, all of which still currently having tickets (though limited) available. It’s evident they’ve worked incredibly hard on this album and if their hints on social media are anything to go by, their new show is set to be their biggest and baddest one yet. These songs are meant to be heard live, ideally in an arena, but for the moment blaring them through my headphones till my ears explode is just gonna have to do.
Words by Kirsty-Ann Thomson
