The Summer SetBy now, most people are sick to death of the slew of American pop/punk bands springing up through the cracks of their 50 states. Most don't make a mark – but young Arizona quintet The Summer Set have actually created a record that's not just a throwaway, feel-good summer album, like their 2009 offering, Love Like This. Everything's Fine has touches of maturity, a dash of being young and wild, all tied together with, even, a healthy bit of cynicism.
The album begins with the sombre-edged tracks, About A Girl and When We Were Young. It's a little odd to hear such an authentic sense of nostalgia from musicians so young but the stripped-back feel of the drums and guitars convey this perfectly. It is, of course, still a pop/punk record and tracks like Someone Like You and Must Be The Music are convenient three-and-a-half minute songs with great hooks and a catchy campfire-like strum. Though singer Brian Dales' voice has an interesting, slightly nasal quality to it, there's still something endearing about it and the guy can definitely hold a tune.
Songs like Thick As Thieves do seem like filler, with the half-hearted use of ukulele and an a cappella gang vocal part that's surely in place to energise live crowds. Love To You also has a ukulele introduction, but despite the song's blatant simplicity it seems to work through the band's cleverly-placed dynamic changes.
It's a simple album, no lyrical or musical masterpiece, but the realist attitudes of the band genuinely shine through, and it's got that honest edge that many other bands have no option but to fake.
