Set It Off: Going Independent Was “Unbelievably Gratifying and Validating”

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Fresh off the success of their 2023 album ‘Elsewhere’, an album that marked their bold transition to independence, Set It Off are already going all in on their new era which is seeing the band taking a darker turn. We met up with Cody Carson backstage at Slam Dunk 2024 to talk about going independent, their new era, and more!

Hello, I’m Fraser Kerr from The Rock Fix, and you join me here backstage at Slam Dunk with Cody from Set It Off. How are you?

Cody: What’s up? Good to see you, man. I’m doing well. I’m having a really great day.

Good to hear. So you played the GoPro stage earlier. How was it?

Cody: Unbelievable. The crowd started amazing, kept growing, and remained loud. We had a wall of death, crowd surfers, the whole nine yards, people singing along. It was everything we could have asked for.

Yeah, that’s good to hear. And last year you released ‘Elsewhere’. How was the reaction to that?

Cody: It was interesting because it was the newest territory we’ve approached. It was kind of more indie rock, but we were just going with what we were feeling at the time, especially throughout the pandemic, since a lot of it was written during the lockdown. A lot of Zoom sessions. I’m very proud of every single song, but I do think that this new era we’re in now is kind of blowing it out of the water.

This new era with singles like ‘Fake Ass Friends’ is seeing you go in a darker direction artistically. Why?

Cody: A lot of factors. We wrote an album in 2012 called ‘Cinematics’, which was very rock-centric, very band-centric. And after that last album, as much as I enjoyed it, I wanted to re-inject the energy back into the band, make it more about the instruments, more about just a live show. Then we went independent and thought, here’s our chance to do whatever we want. So we did exactly what we wanted to do, and it’s been going great so far.

After the last record, you’ve gone independent as a band. How has that been different?

Cody: Unbelievably gratifying and validating because it’s the first time we’ve ever been on the radio for rock in the United States with the songs we released on our own. And it’s also happening now out here, which has been satisfying as well. So, it’s been proof that we made the right choice, and we’ve been able to put both hands on the wheel. If there’s a mistake, we can point it at ourselves.

Getting that radio play was obviously a big step. What do you want to achieve next?

Cody: That’s definitely the biggest goal. But in radio, we want to try to get to number one. We’ve never had a number one yet. But we’re always trying to grow, we want to start playing to more people. The infectious energy of the crowd drives us as a band. So if we could start playing even bigger venues and in front of more people, then we’re doing our job.

A couple of years ago, you released a couple of collabs, one with As It Is, and one with Scene Queen. Could you talk about the process of working on both?

Cody: Both were with the same producer, Zach Jones. That’s what opened our eyes to the possibility of going heavier again because there’s a lot of heavy influences in both of those collaborations. They were all great collaborators. For me, I’m a big believer in the music industry that there’s room for everybody. Lift people up, support them, engage in your friendships, and don’t feel so competitive that you can’t relax. Those sessions were very much just about getting the best song and having the most fun.

You released ‘Fake Ass Friends’ recently, but are you working on new music?

Cody: Oh yeah. We’ve got something on deck that I think is going to blow people away. I can’t say what it is yet, but it’s sitting on deck, and we have a few other songs ready. Then I’m going back home and writing more. I feel like we’re on a tear right now and feel confident. We feel really good about what’s going on and hope to keep the same momentum going.

To keep that momentum going, you’ve got the tour coming up later in the year.

Cody: Yes, we have some tours in the United States coming up later in the year. And then in January 2025, we’re coming back to the UK and Europe, and we’re headlining. It hasn’t been announced yet, so it’s kind of an exclusive.

Do you find a big difference between the U.S. and U.K. audiences?

Cody: I do. I feel like the U.K. and Europe have the most genuine, baked-in love for rock. You show up, and as soon as you’re accepted, you’re in. The United States is different because it’s such a big country; each state is its own thing. Like, the north-east, especially Boston, is crazy. But you can go to an area that’s not as well known, and you have to work your way up from there. It’s like going into a new country. So, it’s an interesting thing to pivot between, but you have to prove yourself everywhere you go.

What’s next for the band?

Cody: Next is going home, sleeping. We’ve got three months months off.

Well deserved.

Cody: Yeah, it’s going to be nice. It’s been 83 days as of tomorrow, just constantly on the road. So I’m going to go home and relax, enjoy my family time, and then we’re going to get right back at it at the end of the year.

That sounds amazing.

Cody: Yeah.

Thank you very much for joining me.

Cody: Thank you for having me.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Cody: Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Cody: Have a good one. Take care, y’all.