The Summer Set - Stories For Monday (2016)

Tracklist
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01. Figure Me Out
02. The Night Is Young
03. Missin' You
04. Jean Jacket
05. All My Friends
06. Change Your Mind
07. All Downhill from Here
08. All In
09. Wonder Years
10. When the Party Ends (Can't Hardly Wait)
11. Wasted


It’s album number four for Arizona pop-rockers The Summer Set, and Brian Dales is in the midst of an identity crisis. “I’m a bit too pop for the punk kids/But I’m too punk for the pop kids,” he ponders over a piano riff that immediately recalls The Who's “Baba O’Riley” on the arena-shaking opener “Figure Me Out." But no matter what he’s facing, the kid is gonna be alright. The hugely poppy “Missin’ You” brims with post-breakup positivity. And while Dales' pals are looking out for him on “All My Friends,” his ill-advised chase for a fleeting new romance is buffered by a playful mix of handclaps and jangly guitar. For the moment, “crazy is what I like,” he sings—and that’s fine by us.

Co-founded by brothers John and Stephen Gomez, the Summer Set took shape in 2007 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Gomez siblings rounded out their lineup with guitarist John Montgomery, drummer Jess Bowen, and vocalist Brian Dales. The teenage quartet chose their name after opening an atlas and happening upon the town of Somerset, New Jersey. Despite the East Coast reference, Arizona proved to be the Summer Set's muse, as the group took inspiration from local acts like Jimmy Eat World and the Format while composing its own emo-pop songs. As they gathered a modest audience on social media, the Summer Set played local shows and issued several EPs, all while still in high school. After graduating, they signed with Razor & Tie. Released in 2009, Love Like This marked the group's official debut. Everything's Fine followed in 2011, featuring production by John Fields (Jimmy Eat World, Andrew W.K.) and guest songwriting by Paul Doucette (Matchbox Twenty) and Mike Daly (Whiskeytown). The band's third album, Legendary, was issued in early 2013 and featured guest vocals from Dia Frampton. During the promotional cycle for their fourth LP, Dales revealed that the Summer Set almost called it quits at the end of 2015, amidst concerns that the band had "run its course." However, despite doubts, they stayed together and completed Stories for Monday, which was released in April 2016.

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