Set It Off is an Orchestral Pop Rock band from Tampa, Florida, that have been busy for a few years since forming in 2008. The earliest trace of the band can be found in vocalist Cody Carson’s long string of video covers on YouTube, which allowed the band to market to a much larger fan base than most young groups can. Tossing out three eps in as many years, and signing to Equal Vision Records prepared the band for their long-awaited debut, and it turned out to be quite a release. 2012’s "Cinematics" is one of the more original outings related to Pop-Punk / Rock and accessible Alternative music in the last couple of years. Fusing All Time Low-esque Pop-Punk and Panic! At The Disco’s quirky oddness with a bit of My Chemical Romance flair and orchestral arrangements, Set It Off built a catchy, accessible, theatrical, and all-around effective record that has put them firmly on the map.
1. “Thoughts That Breathe”
Because of the orchestral importance in the Set It Off sound, they thought they would introduce the songs with a dark, driving, brief orchestral composition. Cody's a huge fan of film scoring and classical music in general. This track is heavily influenced by Hans Zimmer ("The Dark Knight") and just a dash of Danny Elfman ("The Nightmare Before Christmas").
2. “Nightmare”
Cody Carson used to have really bad anxiety, which was the inspiration for this song. His mind always jumps to the worst case scenario and it manifests these terrible thoughts that haven't even happened yet, and he literally thought he was dying... It was that bad! He was living in a nightmare! The bridge of this song compares anxiety attacks to plunging to your death from atop a building. You can almost see your end right in front of you and you feel helpless until you hit the ground. Then, you end up right back at the top of that building looking down wondering what the hell just happened. Both "Thoughts That Breathe" and "Nightmare" are great ways to begin this record!
3. “Swan Song”
Definition: Swan Song (Noun) = A person's final public performance or professional activity before retirement.
This song was the second single to be released prior to the record's full release date. This is meant for the people that have had someone they care about walk out of their life completely. There have been people in my life who promised they'd never leave my side. Some of them have stayed true to their word and some have abandoned me entirely. Carson wrote this song to be my last ditch effort to get in touch with them again before throwing in the towel on the relationship altogether.
4. “Plastic Promises”
This was probably the most fun to sing and dance too, in my opinion. Dan Clermont, lead guitarist, and Cody Carson were in the Tarpon Springs High School Jazz Ensemble, and Carson learned a lot about the structure of jazz songs. The real challenge with this song, however, was figuring out how to evenly integrate fast swing and rock without leaning heavily on either side of the musical plane. Regardless of the challenges they faced, they made a fun song in the end. The theme of this song is becoming fed up with being handed empty promises and just moving on.
5. “I'll Sleep When I'm Dead”
This was the very first single that Set It Off released for the record. Now, unlike most human beings, Cody Carson doesn't sleep that much. Actually, he has a real problem with going to bed at a decent hour and always have to this day. It does have its perks like more productive evenings, though. This song is focused on the delirium that ensues after many sleepless hours. The most fun part about these songs, to me, are the moods cultivated by the orchestral instruments. Pay attention to the driving staccato string ensemble in the second verse and the "ghost choir" in the bridge.
6. “No Control”
The hardest thing I've had to learn in life is that there are going to be unfortunate things that happen to you and the people around you and also that some of these things are completely out of your control. Sometimes you have no choice but to watch something beautiful fall apart right in front of your eyes, whether it be a parents' divorce, losing a loved one, terminal illness, or anything that you personally cannot remedy. You have to learn that life isn't always necessarily fair and to make the best out of what you have while you still have it. This song is basically accepting this fact of life.
7. "Dream Catcher"
This is my favorite song off the entire record! It's a celebration of how far the band has come at the time of recording the album. They were on the right track, on a great label, with a great team behind them, and they were very excited about what the future would hold for them. To this day, this song really encourages me to go out and chase whatever it is that I want to be... And that is being an actor, and I'm still sticking with it!
8. “Freak Show”
If it wasn't for "Dream Catcher," this would be my favorite song! Like Cody Carson, I often struggled to find out exactly who I was when I was growing up. What category did I fit under? What group of friends would I fit in with? Did I dress weird? Am I a crazy person? There was literally a time of my life where I wore band shirts, a flannel over it, and skinny jeans. I was a little bit confused, to say the least. Eventually, I snapped out of it and realized that it didn't matter how others perceived me. I'm going to let my actions reflect exactly who I am and how I feel. If people catch on, great, if not, then I really don't care.
9. “Distance Disturbs Me”
Nowadays, we live in a new age of relationships. Thanks to resources such as Skype, Facebook, and dating sites, you can meet someone and end up liking them without even meeting them. Unfortunately, sometimes that person can end up living miles and miles away. This song is applicable to anyone out there who has to rely on a screen to see the person they care about. It's a very bittersweet feeling, especially for me. I find that I can't handle long distance relationships easily, even if I really like the person, so I end up not going through with it.
10. “Dad's Song”
Unlike the other eleven tracks, this one is has a much bigger theme / meaning because it's extremely personal to Cody Carson. On May 10, 2008, his father, James Charles Carson, passed away due to cancer after battling it for five years. Since that day, he was trying to write this song... No matter how much of an impossible task it was. There are a few things in this song that I know mean a lot to him that he'd like to let you in on. His dad was a trumpet player—he lived and breathed his instrument. In the pre-chorus and bridge, you will hear a trumpet playing, in the style of "Oh Danny Boy." That was Dan Clermont playing one of James' favorite trumpet melodies on his favorite trumpet. Also, when Cody flew home from college to be with his family because of his passing, James had recently told his son to chase this dream of his. When he entered the kitchen, there was a note on the fridge. It read, "There are no shortcuts to success! Love, Dad". That phrase really pushed Cody and that is why it was featured as a lyric in the chorus of this song, and it says that time will heal the wound. This song was a long time coming, but it turned out to be the most beautiful piece that this record has to offer... Honestly, I almost cry every time I hear it!
11. “I'd Rather Drown”
There is some palpable anger in this song that I can relate to. Like Carson, I also consider myself a kind, forgiving guy, but if I'm going to be nice to you, do not betray me. I don’t tend to open up to a lot of people. It's hard for me to tear down my walls for a girl in a relationship because I've been betrayed so many times. This is the story of a girl who has a reputation for playing with men's emotions that I was completely unaware of. The story is: I liked her, she said she liked me, we flirted a lot and talked about a relationship. She lived slightly far away, so I said we should stay friends. The absolute next day she had a boyfriend. Found out that another friend of mine went through the same thing with her just a week before me. Like "The Haunting" from "Duality," this song is very cocky, but this one IS sort of in a bad way!12. “The Grand Finale”
In terms of the scenario... Imagine you and your friends were all outside enjoying the amazing weather when, out of a nowhere, an emergency siren began to scream throughout the entire city. Every citizen who was out walking their dog or out for a jog stopped dead in their tracks. You could almost feel the collective hearts drop to the floor. It was the siren that you would expect to be followed by a nuclear impact or an earthquake. Then we hear, "This has been a test." The collective sigh of relief was overwhelming. Then, you begin to think, what if that actually was the end of my life? What if that was the end of the world, right then and there? How would I handle that? This final track takes you through the final hours of a man and a woman's life as they try to survive the imminent end.
Overall, Set it Off's "Cinematics" is probably the best debut album that any band could've released and something that all Pop-Punk / Orchestral Rock fans can enjoy! Check out the album here! Also, check out "Partners in Crime," "Kill the Lights," and "You Are Loved"... They are the bonus tracks for the album!
Rating: 5 / 5 Stars
Also, click here to look at my review of their sophomore album, "Duality"!
