I tend to listen albums to death. If it's pretty strong, it'll stay in my rotation for at least a couple weeks. If it's an awesome break-out album, it can stay as long as several months. If it's a legend, years.
It's much harder to keep my attention for more than a few days with an individual song, devoid of its context and complements. A few songs have managed to really stick with me, no matter what mood I'm in. For instance, Say Anything's "Admit It!" Saves the Day's "Sell My Old Clothes, I'm Off to Heaven." Boys Night Out's "Up With Me." Moneen's "Tonight I'm Gone." Circa Survive's "Handshakes at Sunrise." You get the picture.
The song has to be pretty epic.
The songs I deem epic and all-time playworthy rarely ever come paired with a music video. Until today.
I've been following Set Your Goals since they started breaking into the scene and blurring the line between pop and hardcore. It's hard to believe it has already been two years since the band's freshman full-length, Mutiny!, was released. Apparently, they've been touring pretty hard because, as of yet, I haven't heard plans for the next album. I'm sure it's in the works.
But, surprisingly late of the album's original release date, they've made a new video. I couldn't be happier to announce it accompanies a song not unlike the ones I describe at the top.
'Echoes' is the final track on Mutiny!, a melancholy anthem about the pain of losing a loved one. The song's overall message is hopeful, and the video does some serious justice to the song. Keeping with the theme, the characters all hold up obituaries and pictures at the end, signifying the loss of a loved one and giving the song some extra personality.
Set Your Goals has brought a breath of fresh air from the negativity of the hardcore scene, spewing positively-spun lyrics a la Gorilla Biscuits. Albeit for me to complain about the lyrics of an artist (I happen to enjoy the depressive nature of lyrics, especially when the words themselves are aesthetically pleasing), but you have to admit, it's ballsy to even try to spin a positive message musically nowadays (at least one that isn't smug and self-righteous), and even more impressive to actually pull it off.
Great job on the video boys. Next, could we work on dropping a new album?
"I am looking up now, death can’t change us."
- Set Your Goals, "Echoes"
