Review by Ellie Garno
When bands of our youth (that, yes, have been around for nearly ten years), it’s hard not to be excited. Last week, The Summer Set put out their fourth studio album, Stories For Monday, and we at MCU were eager to give it a listen.
Now, I admit I never really hopped on the pop-punk train. I grew up near a Six Flags that was an annual Warped Tour stop and had friends who were scene kids (and now are, like, way cooler than me…maybe). But sometimes, I hear bands like The Summer Set and fear that I’ve missed out.
Stories For Monday comes after a (very) brief breakup scare, but is far from a swan song. It’s filled with ’80s references, party (and after party) anthems, and a sense of uncertainty—all the makings of a good weekend. In music, this sounds like the arena-type melodies of “Figure Me Out,” all too relatable lyrics of “All My Friends,” and powerful percussion-ing (yass, Jess Bowen, lady drummer) of “All Downhill from Here.”
There’s a part of me that questions the album and the “scene.” That maybe The Summer Set is getting too old to be singing about the high school cliches of drunken nights and free-spirited, reckless adventures. But then they come up with songs like “Wasted,” which reflects on the craziness of youth and the uncertainty of the future. It’s the whole “adulting” thing right at its core. The way Brian Dales sings about being able to take advantage of his youth, it just makes sense in a comforting and familiar way. It might also be a great nod to The Summer Set’s Half Moon Kids mantra: Be Brave, Be Curious, Be Legendary.
After a couple listens, it becomes a whole lot clearer that The Summer Set did it right with this album, and they know it.
Rating: 3/5
Best Track: “All My Friends”
Filed under: Reviews Tagged: album review, music creates us, new album, new music, stories for monday, the summer set
