Set It OffUpside Down

There have been a few dreary days hitting Melbourne. Set It Off are making it easier though. Yep, away from the breakdowns and gutturals that normally soundtrack the rainy mornings is the pop rock four-piece. It’s pretty inoffensive for the most part. That is, unless you hate a mish-mash of influences from pop’s most successful outfits in the past two decades. Any of these songs could slot into the following artists’ discography with nary a peep. Their champion roar of Uncontainable is Fall Out Boy’s follow-up to Centuries and Hypnotised is the Maroon 5/21 Pilots collaboration that we never knew we were missing. On that 21 Pilots comparison, it’s fair to mistake the intro for Upside Down with Holding Onto You. Teen girls will love it.

The band wear their mainstream appeal on their sleeve

Plus if it hits the stereo on a long car road then it won’t result in eyeball gouging. Life Afraid has a latino inspired beat that wouldn’t go astray with a Pitbull collaboration; do with that information what you will. None of this necessarily detracts from the experience considering the band wear their mainstream appeal on their sleeve. It’s easy to visualise them on giant screens at a sports event. It does feel quite by the numbers though; more Billboard Hot 100 than an innovation. But if that’s the market, then they’re more than qualified for the new Fall Out Boy pathway. Let’s just hope they don’t forget their Warped Tour roots once they’re on top.

Stick This Next To: Mayday Parade, New Fall Out Boy, 21 Pilots
Standout Tracks: Uncontainable, Hypnotised, Life Afraid