Hey, pop punkers! It’s another week, and today, we are going to highlight one of my FAVORITE bands I’ve gotten into over the past year…Set It Off! This band is like if Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, and Panic! at the Disco had a baby…and I honestly can’t get enough of them! Let’s talk about it!

A Brief History of Set It Off

Set it Off was formed in Tampa, Florida in 2008, consisting of friends Cody Carson (lead vocals, guitar), Max Danziger ( drums), and Max Dewall (guitar, bass, vocals). The band took their name from a lyric in Fall Out Boy’s “Calm Before The Storm,” being heavily influenced by FOB, Green Day, Panic! at the Disco and Blink-182 (some bands I have loved since childhood, no wonder I’m crazy about SIO). Set It Off gained popularity primarily through Cody Carson’s YouTube Channel in the band’s early stages.

The release of their first studio album, Cinematics (2012),jumpstarted the band’s success as it is often regarded as their masterpiece. The entire album is like it could be a rock theatre score, with a song for every mood and so much drama throughout. I LOVE it. The band’s next studio album, Duality (2014), exploded on various social media platforms, containing a heavy pop punk influence throughout the album, even featuring William Beckett of The Academy Is…on its hit, “Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing.”

Set It Off’s next album, Upside Down (2016), received more mixed reviews, with some loving the more poppy sound to the album and the writing with All Time Low‘s Alex Gaskarth on “Something New”, and others not loving some of the lyrics and cheesiness to the songs and the somewhat carbon copy feel of Fall Out Boy’s American Beauty, American Psycho. Still, the album is a good one to chill out to.

Their following album, Midnight, received generally favorable reviews as well for its catchy hooks and experimentation with other sounds in addition to their signature sound, such as with the Haloween-inspired song “Hourglass.” This sound experimentation is something the band has done well time and time again over the years.

Their most recent album, Elsewhere (2022), is praised for being an easy listen throughout with extremely catchy choruses and a great orchestral edge, however others say the album lacks variety and the potential for more Set It Off genius.

Set It Off is one of those pop-punk bands that blends R&B, electronica, and other musical styles so well with their music and maintains their edge while doing so, and I love that the band has kept its spirit as an independent, underground band despite being very popular today!

Set It Off in Pop Culture

Set It Off has appeared in the wildly popular “Punk Goes…” series, where punk songs are covered in a variety of genres. In 2015, SIO covered Ariana Grande’s hit, “Problem,” in the “Punk Goes…” best known series, (arguably), “Punk Goes Pop.” They also released a banger of a holiday jam called “This Christmas (I’ll Burn it to the Ground) in 2013, normalizing that it’s okay to be sad during the holidays during a time that the media portrays that everything should be perfect. Both songs on the “Punk Goes…” series are absolute fire, and I highly recommend you give them a listen!

Check out Set It Off’s unique and creative pop-punk discography here!

Till Next Time,

XOXO,

Meagan