When The Summer Set returned from a four-year indefinite hiatus in 2021, they planned to release a two-part comeback album called Blossom. While Part 1 was released in September 2022 as their fifth album, the second part still seemed a ways off, aside from the one-off single “Under the Influence(r).
Turns out, Pt. 2 is not coming. While working on their follow-up to the now-standalone Blossom record, the Arizona quartet decided to change course. While the previous album title urged fans to wait for the fruits of their labor to ripen, the new title is a firm call to action: Meet Me at the Record Store.
Released Friday via LAB Records, the band’s sixth studio album continues to modernize their original pop punk sound while harkening back to the days when physical media reigned supreme.
It's nostalgia for the 1990s and early 2000s extends to the lyrical content. Like with past records, they sprinkle in plenty of pop culture references to perk listeners’ ears up.
“For the First Time” opens things up with piano and chimes before giving way to a more standard composition. Jess Bowen’s kick drum gives it weight, while John Gomez’s guitar work provides a great undercurrent. The lyrics indicate rejuvenation in doing what you love, that no longer being as famous as you were before has made it easier to enjoy.
Lead single “I Don’t Wanna Party” muses about getting older and realizing that you have outgrown the things you used to do when you were younger. Having lost their sense of self, the narrator gives up what have become their vices, resolving to start over and find a new purpose.
To suit the lyrics, the band blends a heavier rock sound with a poppier song structure. Chugging guitar from John, pounding drums by Bowen, and entrancing bass from Stephen Gomez come together to heighten the impact of Brian Logan Dales’s powerful vocal performance, which includes gritty screaming toward the climax.
The instantly infectious “ADIDAS” sounds like a classic Summer Set track, particularly with Dales’s trademark higher register making an appearance, while sporting some cheeky lyrics. The lead riff from John makes the song so danceable, while Stephen’s bass works in perfect harmony with a keyboard part.
While the chorus suggests the narrator is down bad for a good time, they eventually make clear to their love interest that they desire more than just that and that they have genuine feelings for them.
“Miserable” opens with John strumming on acoustic guitar and surprisingly continues along a subdued path, featuring playful percussion and light bass. Guest vocalist Jax shines, both in her solo verse and harmonies with Dales. Together, they give voice to two perspectives on a loveless relationship, as both parties finally confess their feelings of dread to each other. It’s compelling as an anti-love song.
Continuing the theme, “Algorithm & Blues (Over & Over)” features satisfying strumming from John and drum fills from Bowen, paired with lyrics about feeling trapped in a toxic, dead-end relationship. The narrator senses that their partner has always kept them at a distance and grows increasingly desperate to understand them.
“What I’m Made Of” strips things down into a heartfelt ballad dedicated to Dales’s wife.
Acoustic fingerpicking adds sweetness, but the piano dominates the mix. Dales sings about how his partner combats his insecurities and self-doubt by offering stability and accepting him as he is, encouraging him to join her in the fight. The band has referred to this track as their attempt at a wedding song, and it fits comfortably alongside songs like Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” while retaining The Summer Set’s identity.
“All of Us” eases the energy back in with an underdog anthem driven by Bowen’s percussion, additional acoustic guitar from John, and even some tambourine. Lyrics full of creative imagery and specificity prevent the track from feeling generic.
The MVP on “Hit and Run” is John once again, this time back on the electric guitar. His playing here adds personality, as does Dales’s swaggering vocal delivery and Bowen’s snare slamming. John even sings on the bridge, adding an extra layer to the lyrics, which mull over learning you are not your partner’s only one.
“Gloria” tells an external narrative about chasing after the titular love interest, who has become jaded by the dark underbelly of Los Angeles. While Bowen’s drum fills, John’s flanged guitar and Dales’s falsetto are electrifying enough, Stephen’s booming bass stands out the most here, putting a lurid face on the track.
“34” feels like the rawest recording on the album, led by Dales on piano with the addition of strings. He sings with reverb, reflecting on making peace with aging and the shift in priorities since his teenage years.
On “Flowers,” Bowen’s drumming keeps the energy bouncing, Stephen’s bass playing pulsates as John’s guitar gives the track a sunny vibe. The lyrics see the narrator looking back on a regretful night when they drunkenly crashed their ex’s birthday party. But the most surprising part is the band bringing in saxophone and strings to take it all home.
Fitting for a closing track, “Dizzy” feels like a musical amalgamation of all the previous tracks. It implements vibrant keys, bumping bass, acoustic guitar, danceable percussion, and light sax. The lyrics bring things full circle as well, describing a love so fulfilling it amplifies all your senses and ending with a callback to “The Color of Everything,” the intro off Blossom.
Meet Me at the Record Store may be The Summer Set’s best record yet. All four members show clear growth as musicians and individuals, no longer struggling to balance introspection and fun.
Compared to Blossom’s seven-song set (eight if you count the intro), these 12 tracks give the ideas room to breathe and develop, never feeling jarring in pace. Ironically, it seems the band has only now fully blossomed into the best version of themselves.
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