ALBUM REVIEW: SET IT OFF - SET IT OFF (07/10/25)

In shedding the weight of the past and stepping fully into their independence, alt-rockers Set It Off have redefined themselves. The Los Angeles-via-Florida trio of Cody Carson (vocals), Zach DeWall (guitar), and Maxx Danziger (drums) return with their self-titled record, their first since 2022’s Elsewhere, a bold declaration of creative freedom, evolution, and sincere intent.

Produced by long-time collaborator and friend Jon Lundin, Set It Off marks the band’s heaviest and most unfiltered release to date. “Every previous album was so necessary for us to be able to find this sound,” says Carson. “This is not the final destination, but it's the road we should have been running down the whole time.” And it shows. Every track feels like a deliberate stride towards authenticity: fierce, focused, and unapologetically them.

The album kicks off with ‘Pathological,’ a high-energy track full of sharp riffs and rapping vocals that instantly introduces the mood for the rest of the album. Indeed, the hard-hitting anthem, with its catchy chorus and faced-paced drums, is calling out liars, fakes, and selfish people, a clear sign that the band isn’t holding back on this new record. That same energy continues on ‘Punching Bag’ (originally released in 2023), which turns anger into strength, and the latest single ‘Rotten,’ where Carson takes aim at the lack of honesty he sees in the world today in their heaviest release yet.

The middle stretch of the album, featuring tracks like ‘SWITCH,’ ‘Fake Ass Friends’ (released in 2024), and ‘What’s In It For Me?’, sees Set It Off showing off their classic blend of signature pop with some hard rock bite: the tracks are instant earworms that will undeniably be, if not already, instant fan favourites in a live setting.

Then comes ‘Evil People’ (2023) and ‘Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing [REBORN]’, both leaning into darker themes and heavier tones. The latter revisits one of their most iconic songs with renewed punch: faster, meaner, and definitely more mature. It’s a nod to their roots with a clear modern twist, reframed entirely for who they’ve now become: a slightly heavier band with the same punch and energy that made them so popular when the track was first released over a decade ago.

‘Vicious Cycle’ and ‘Creating Monsters’ are instantly catchy, giving off pop-punk energy with strong hooks and sing-along choruses, in true Set It Off fashion. It feels like familiar territory here but the overall sound is still heavier than their material post independent era.

‘Parasite’ (2023), another previously released track, will not surprise fans: already a staple during live shows, the track was their first introduction into darker, angrier territory a couple of years ago. The album closes with ‘Worst Case Scenarios’, a beautiful, cathartic finale: emotionally charged and explosive, the perfect album closer.

Overall Set It Off is a strong offering from the trio. It steps away from the pop and electronic experimentation that Elsewhere (2022) provided, offering a heavier, angrier and more mature sound than some of their earlier pop-punk or orchestral pop style material.

Already charting on hard rock radio for the first time and continuing to rack up millions of streams worldwide, Set It Off have used their newfound freedom not as a risk, but as a rebirth. The self-titled album feels less like a reset and more like a revelation, the sound of a band finally comfortable in their own skin, steering their destiny with both hands on the wheel.