FULL BIOGRAPHY (written by Bryan Reesman)
From the time they were formed, Set It Off have never been your standard emo band. Or pop group. Or pop-punk band. They are all of those things and more. Just listen to the lead single “Skeleton” from their new album Elsewhere – moody, melodious pop-rock with fast rapping tearing up the break. The song is about embracing who you are unapologetically and without filters. “Skeleton” epitomizes Set It Off now – a group both fully committed to its roots and diving into its future by embracing inevitable change.
Since forming in Florida in 2008, the genre-blending group has released four previous album, amassed a loyal following, and relocated to L.A. five years ago, while their Top 10 Spotify tracks alone have racked up 528 million plays. While the band’s full-length debut album Cinematics in 2012 embraced their moodier rock side, later efforts took on an upbeat pop twist that culminated in a darker synergy of those styles on their last album Midnight. Elsewhere is a transitional, moody, and forward thinking release, one in which they have faced their demons and come out happier and more full of life than ever before.
Quarantine made the members of Set It Off feel vulnerable because they could not go out and do what they love most which is play live. But at least singer/lyricist Cody Carson, guitarist Zach DeWall, and drummer Maxx Danziger could make new music again.
“This album is me addressing all of my insecurities, all of my problems, all of the things that I can always openly talk about in a form of song,” says Cody. “It was really healthy for me in this time [of lockdown]. Because you feel like you're shouting at a wall. There's not really anyone to process it with you, so it was nice to be able to have that stress ball of a song outlet to get all this out.”
What Elsewhere represents is a band that has come to terms with its true identity and its sense of well-being. Cody no longer worries about chasing fame and putting pressure on himself to replicate past successes. He loves what he does and seeks out new ideas to explore, and if they reap big rewards that’s a bonus. Maxx stopped repressing unsettled feelings about his life, worked them out in therapy, and now feels rejuvenated.
“It was terrifying,” admits Maxx, “but I came out on the other side. I never thought that I would feel this genuine happiness and feel present and aware. I think that's what the general image of the album has been, what my brain felt like going through all that.”
The guys in Set It Off dialed back their social media interaction during the pandemic. Maxx logged off of Twitter permanently in mid-2020. The group acknowledged, as Maxx says, the blessing and curse of social media.
“You make something that means so much to you, is a part of yourself, then you put it out into the world,” explains Maxx. “And the band is no longer just ours, it's now everyone's. Suddenly, it's not just three people writing music in a room for fun. It's now their job. And now people have these expectations of what the new record is going to sound like, and all of those pressures and all of those different voices end up affecting the art. It can become overbearing sometimes.”
The song “Who’s In Control” certainly reflects those artistic concerns, but it also is a recurring theme on the album.
“I relate to almost all of these songs,” says Maxx. “’As Good As It Gets’ – just the idea of feeling defeated and thinking, is there ever going to be a light at the end of this tunnel? Especially during the pandemic.”
“Why Not Me” expresses the exasperating envy of seeing other people succeeding and seemingly happy on social media, and wondering why it can’t be you. But the song is also about uplifting yourself because why not you? You can make it just like everyone else did. You have to focus on yourself.
From the get go, Set It Off have strived to stand out by taking their effervescent studio sound and bringing a rock energy to their shows that takes things to the next level. When the band was creating “Skeleton” in the studio, the jump tempo excited Cody, especially when he anticipated the potential crowd reaction. And yes, the string sounds that have been a mainstay in the Set It Off catalog re-emerge most strongly on the songs “Cordial” and “Taste Of The Good Life”.
“When we started working on this album, my goal was to write 40 songs because there's quality in quantity, and if we have that many there's no possible way I'll be unhappy with our album,” recalls Cody, who credits returning producer Mike Green as a hardworking and kind collaborator who embraced the Zoom writing sessions that dominated the album’s creation.
A dream collaborator for Cody was Neon Trees frontman Tyler Glenn who co-wrote the peppy “Cut Off,” a deceptively upbeat dance track about severing a personal connection with someone. The Set It Off singer also re-enlisted TWIN XL singer Cameron Walker with whom he feels in sync with musically and lyrically. Producer/writer Bruce Wiegner also returned – three of their four sessions made the album – and also Brandon Paddock, with whom Cody has written songs since the 2014 album Duality because of their great chemistry.
The piano-driven ballad “Better Than This” is new for Set It Off and was inspired by Cody’s family and friends encouraging him to strip things back for one track. He was not so sure. “That was a really vulnerable song to write because I don't like admitting when I'm wrong,” he admits. It clicks into place and further diversifies the eclectic album.
“We have heard this so many times throughout our career: ‘We're not really sure where to place you. We're not really sure what type of band you are,’” says Maxx. “And sometimes it ended up working against us. One of our goals for this record is embracing that. When we say we're an alternative band, we mean it in the fullest sense. We are not trying to follow a trend. We're fully trying to find out who Set It Off is without any outside influences.”
To further accentuate their new outlook on life, Set It Off have revamped their image. Cody now sports fuschia hair, Maxx has teal, and their video for “Skeleton” pops with, as the drummer notes, “bright neon colors mixed with macabre imagery. The single art for ‘Skeleton’ is these blues and greens and pinks, and there's the skeleton with slime all over.”
The clip is inspired by imaginative tales like Goosebumps, Beetlejuice, The Matrix, and Alice in Wonderland. “It’s entering a new, strange and exciting world,” continues Maxx. “There are these forces that may try to sway your opinion and knock you off track. But it's the idea of trying to stay focused and blocking out the noise and going, ‘Who am I? What do I want? Where do I want to be?’”
Cody says he is in awe of the visual world that Maxx has created around the album’s photo shoots and videos. “I've realized Maxx has an incredible eye for aesthetics and visuals and overarching themes,” he says. “ It makes so much sense with the music. It's a perfect marriage.”
In the spirit of releasing their art in the world and seeing what happens, Set It Off have created something special on an extra level with Elsewhere.
“We wanted to create a concept album without the songs suffering,” reveals Maxx. “We worked backwards where Cody wrote these songs, and then we listened to them and were able to craft a story out of the topics that he was talking about. So this way, if you just want to listen to the songs, you can enjoy them on their own. But if you want to dive deeper, there is a full story there.”
The story will be integrated across all their media, but they will let their devout fans dissect the symbolism and draw their own conclusions. “Maybe someday down the line we can talk about it,” teases Cody slyly.
Either way, fans will be elated by Set It Off’s latest offering and drawn into the varied moods and worlds of Elsewhere.