The Summer Set – Legendary
Review by Jessica Klinner
The day has finally come! The long anticipated third album from The Summer Set has hit the airwaves. There has been a lot of hype surrounding the release of Legendary and for a good reason. The Summer Set always find a creative way to involve their fans with the release of a new album. A little while ago, the band decided to launch the Half Moon Kids campaign, allowing fans to post their art on a website for all to access. The band even picked some of the fans who posted entries to hang out with them on tour and live out their “legendary moment.” Some of these moments featured aspiring writers, photographers, musicians, and artists. With such a successful campaign surrounding their new album, the band had high standards to meet with the new songs and of course, they did not disappoint.
Their sophomore album, Everything’s Fine, was recorded in 17 days. The Summer Set decided to slow down the pace of recording the new album and it ended up taking around 8 months from start to finish. While fans may have wished the band whipped out another album quickly, it’s safe to say that the time taken to complete the album was completely necessary. This time enabled The Summer Set to make their best album to date.
The record starts out with the already loved song “Maybe Tonight,” an anthem for Half Moon Kids everywhere who need a chance to start over and rediscover themselves. “Boomerang” and “F*** You Over” are also previously released songs, but within the context of the album they sound new again. “Lightning in a Bottle” and “Happy For You” have tame verses with booming choruses where lead singer Brian Dales shows off his vocal abilities. The song “Rescue” sounds like it is straight out of a Disney movie soundtrack (specifically Tarzan). It sounds very Phil Collins-esque. Just listen and you’ll see what I’m talking about. The title track and album closer “Legendary” ties the entire album together with Dales singing out, “We all just wanna feel legendary.” The production on this album is bigger and better than any previous release from the quintet. The entire album is filled with positive messages about finding yourself and becoming the best person you can be.
The album title that started out as a reference to How I Met Your Mother has turned into a campaign to push fans to be the best version of themselves. Everything about this album shows just how much the band has matured since the release of Everything’s Fine. The lyrical content far surpasses anything the band has previously written. Every song has the potential to be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.
Just when I thought I was getting over The Summer Set, they put out this album and reel me back in. Everything this band stands for right now with the release of this album is inspiring and inspirational to say the least. Legendary is not only a killer third full length release from The Summer Set, but it has also been a way for them to connect to their fans on a more personal level. As the band has helped so many fans achieve their legendary moments, the fans now have a chance to turn the tables and give The Summer Set a legendary moment. Every band has one album that puts them on the radar and Legendary is going to be that album for The Summer Set.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommended Tracks: “Lightning in a Bottle,” “Rescue” and “Jukebox (Life Goes On)”
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