Send "The Summer Set " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 When The Summer Set released a trio of EPs over the span of twelve months beginning in late 2007, the young Arizonan quintet were clearly living for the moment and having fun. Playing a simple and energetic brand of pop-punk, it was the usual hit and miss batch of songs that ranged from infectiously catchy to downright embarrassing. No-one thought that they could make the step up to a full-length release without stacking it with filler, so it came as a pleasant surprise as to just how consistently enjoyable the band's debut LP 'Love Like This' turned out. While it did not have the Grammy Awards calling for an appearance, their fans (read: kids) loved the fact that they could sing along to hooky tunes such as 'Chelsea', 'Young' and 'The Boys You Do (Get Back At You)'. Even relatively mature tracks like 'Passenger Seat' and the Dia Frampton assisted 'Where Are You Now?' weren't half bad… But could they have been the forerunner for The Summer Set getting just a little too far ahead of themselves on second LP 'Everything's Fine'? Right from the get-go, you know this album will carry a different kind of vibe than their debut, with opener 'About A Girl' beginning acoustically and remaining at a methodical pace even when the full band kicks in. You can almost hear the collective sigh of acne-infested teenagers exclaiming "This ain't 'The Boys You Do'". Disturbingly, the acoustic guitar is used far too often on 'Everything's Fine', with The Summer Set becoming yet another group to jump on the reggae-pop bandwagon in an attempt to conform to current trends and appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Lead single 'Someone Like You', the gang vocal containing 'Thick As Thieves', the cheesy 'Mona Lisa' and the title-spelling, "Do Do Doo'ing" 'Love To You' all adhere to such a sound... Bruno Mars has a lot to answer for as far as this reviewer is concerned. It is not that most of the tunes here are necessarily bad, it is just that too many of them fall into the categorization of inoffensive, relatively catchy, but ultimately forgettable mid-tempo power-pop... And even the "power" is a stretch many times, as the quintet appear to have forgotten that they contain two guitarists. Occasionally, they get the mix better in integrating their pop-punk roots with a newer outlook... 'Must Be The Music' and 'Begin Again' - the latter of which resembles the melody to Pink's 'Raise Your Glass' - are quite fun and catchy, while 'When We Were Young' and piano-driven closer 'Don't Let Me Go' are admirable attempts at maturity. Yet, only 'Mannequin' resembles anything close to memorable, with lead vocalist Brian Dales showing genuine passion in his otherwise weak, immature voice. As much as Dales may have improved, the lighter music evident here too often exposes his vocal limitations and he is simply incapable of successfully delivering what he is being asked to....full text |
| Reviewrinserepeat |
| Amongst punk purists, there seems to be the conception that, in order for their music to achieve legitimacy, a band must have slugged it out in working class neighborhoods and sing about the trials and tribulations of the “real” world. If this is the case, Scottsdale, Arizona’s The Summer Set are clearly one of the most illegitimate groups performing right now. The five-piece pop-rock outfit, who rose to prominence following the release of “Chelsea,” a track written for JONAS star (and lead singer Brian Dales’ ex-girlfriend) Chelsea Staub, haven’t suffered the horrors of poverty, and nor do they sing about the horrors of war. Instead, these children of suburbia sing about standard teen fare: meeting girls, loving girls, and losing girls. Yet, to judge the band based upon this fact is to judge a man based upon his economic background. While the band’s debut album, 2009’s Love Like This, was a textbook case of catchy pop-rock that echoed All Time Low at their most saccharine, the potential was always there, in both lead singer Brian Dales and the band’s instrumentalists, to create a truly memorable album. On their sophomore record, Everything’s Fine, the band has achieved just that. Laden with bittersweet lyrics, a soulful voice, catchy hooks, and a sense of maturity, The Summer Set have produced what can easily be called one of the summer’s finest albums. Perhaps one of the most prominent themes in Everything’s Fine is that of love and loss. Of course, this isn’t anything new, for neither the band nor the genre. Yet, there is something surprisingly fresh about The Summer Set’s take on the subjects on this record. Perhaps it is the obvious progression the band has made in the transition from their debut record to their sophomore outing. Where Love Like This’s opening track “The Boys You Do (Get Back At You)” was a barn burning romp about “go[ing] to sleep with all” of an unnamed female’s friends, “About A Girl” is a soft, heartfelt ballad combining longing lyrics and top-notch, heart-wrenching instrumentation. The beautiful tale of Romeo and Juliet comes to mind as Dales softly wishes “to be a cigarette buried down deep in her pockets” much in the way Romeo desired to be a glove upon Juliet’s hands. Indeed, the softer, emotional side of love seems to be a recurring theme throughout the album, and it is a welcome change over both the bitter and sensual frat-boy tunes of the band’s previous record. Throughout the record, from the reminiscing “When We Were Young” and the anthemic “Back To The Start” to the soulful “Begin Again” and dynamic “Don’t Let Me Go,” the focus is less on the burning pyro of young love and more on the cool flame of maturity. Even at the record’s most bitter (which would be the heart-wrenching “Mannequin,” a track that promises to be the “Miserable At Best” of the scene’s new wave of bands), there is a complexity that runs deeper than the standard scene fare of “fuck you, you broke my heart” as Dales’ flexible (and, at this moment in time, mournful) voice laments how a relationship with a girl “fell apart like a rag doll at the seams” in one of the year’s most heartbreaking choruses Yet, for all of Dales’ maturity and improved vocal abilities, it would be nothing without the support of the four instrumentalists that make up the remainder of the band. From the record’s opening lines, it is clear that this band has undergone tremendous growth. No longer reliant on power chords, the music is propped up by the twinkling of pianist/guitarist John Gomez on tracks such as “When We Were Young,” “Back To The Start,” and “Don’t Let Me Go.” Meanwhile, guitarist Josh Montgomery also shows tremendous acoustic writing ability in the soul- and jazz-like riffs found in such clearly Mraz-influenced tracks as “Someone Like You,” “Thick As Thieves,” and “Love To You.” Yet, while individual growth is important, the record truly shines when the band’s individual parts combine to create a completely cohesive whole. “Begin Again” is a high point for the band, as its jazzy riffs and soulful vocals (both of which channel The Rocket Summer’s Bryce Avary) are made truly memorable by the support drummer Jess Bowen and bassist Stephen Gomez....full text |
| Absolutepunk |
| With all the trash being spewed out of our speakers, is it just me who fears for the future of music? Sure, you have your Thursdays and your Bon Ivers sprinkling hope onto our youth, but what about music on the poppier side? When all of the successors of pop's saving grace are now either diminishing (All Time Low), regressing (Set Your Goals), or just disappearing forever (The Graduate), you have to wonder if new acts will entirely consist of the same trite qualities in music we're seeing every other week. Either that...or becoming Design the Skyline cover bands. Meanwhile, Arizona quintet The Summer Set were never exactly known as doing anything genre defining. Their debut In Color EP back in 2008 garnered attention which eventually led to the more focused Love Like This full-length. It was promising, but other than the two monster singles "Chelsea" and "The Boys You Do (Get Back at You)," it left for something to be desired. Now 2 years later, the desire is fulfilled with The Summer Set's Everything's Fine, and it displays pop progression at its finest. The Summer Set's new 11 track full-length expands on their previous sound, yet still contains the charm that made them enjoyable to listen to in the first place. Overall, the music is fairly toned down this time around. The opener "About a Girl" is appropriately titled and essentially sets the mood for the rest of the record -- musically and lyrically. The album is about a girl. There are no doubts about that fact. However, instead of taking the typical cheesy route that accompanies pop and females, it adds a tinge of originality separating it from the pack. In addition, frontman Brian Logan Dales' vox has significantly improved, solidifying himself as one of the better singers currently in the genre. It all fits incredibly well in the direction that Everything's Fine takes, where it tends to give more of a breezy atmosphere instead of the in-your-face hooks that The Summer Set typically provide. With that said, some may associate the lack of an upbeat tempo in pop music as "not fun," but Everything's Fine is still a blast. There aren't any blood pumping choruses like the one found in "Chelsea," however the first single "Someone Like You" and "Must Be the Music" still offer melodies that will make your head spin. One of the standouts, "Mona Lisa," is screaming to be included on the Top 40 charts while "Thick as Thieves" offers a throwback to Love Like This as it's easily the catchiest on the record. Production wise, John Fields does a superb job at taking the sound of The Summer S...full text |
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