Set It Off are one of the rising stars of pop-punk, and ‘Duality: Stories Unplugged’ is only likely to further enhance their growing reputation. A re-imagining of five songs from 2014’s ‘Duality’, ‘Stories Unplugged’ is sure to be devoured by their loyal fans. Referring to the songs as stories is all part of Set It Off’s vision for the EP to be more than just the typical acoustic guitar re-recordings that many would have expected. That’s not to say that the acoustic guitar doesn’t feature, but when it does it is often complimented or contrasted with swathes of orchestral strings or touches of tender piano.
The EP gets off to a fantastic start with the anthemic ‘Ancient History’. Thanks to the creatively used instrumentation it still packs a powerful chorus despite the lack of crunching electrified pop-punk chords. Vocalist Cody Carson has spoken of how the band took the decision to completely re-imagine some of the songs and ‘Tomorrow’ is the near perfect realisation of this aim. More than just a simple stripped-back run through of one of the best songs on ‘Duality’, it has been completely rebuilt around around the simple but incredibly effective combination of drums, strings, and Cody Carson’s impressive vocals.
Elsewhere, songs such as ‘The Haunting’ take on an almost theatrical persona that would have rivalled Panic! At The Disco at their best for dramatic storytelling and creative flair. Alongside the tracks taken from ‘Duality’ is new song ‘Wild Wild World’. Packed full of soaring vocals, lush strings, and upbeat lyrics, it’s a fantastic addition to the EP and one that bodes well for the future. As well as it fits in here, it will be interesting to see if Set It Off re-record it as a full band whenever their next release comes as it has the potential to sound absolutely huge.
As successful as the majority of the songs are, ‘Duality: Stories Unplugged’ has a couple of moments which don’t quite come off. For all the upbeat atmosphere of ‘Why Worry’, the abundance of oohs and woahs leave the vocals sounding forced, and the understated arrangement of ‘Bleak December’ results in a rather bland sounding effort.
Still, a couple of less impressive tracks takes absolutely nothing away from the quality of the EP overall. It would have been easy for the guys to take a couple of acoustic guitars and rattle through a handful of songs just for the sake of it, but instead they have taken the time to create something uniquely captivating that is as rewarding to listen to as it is fun.
CHRIS HILSON