The record’s centerpiece, the back-to-back emotional annihilation of “We Let Our Youth Fail Beautifully” and “Multiple Attempts at the Same Thing,” sparkles with crisp and technical guitar work, staccato bursts of bass noise, and an effortlessly smooth dichotomy between soft and loud dynamics that defies traditional hardcore songwriting sensibilities. Showcasing a quick lineup shuffle- including the addition of new bassist Jacob Morrison as well as Pennington’s shift to additional guitar- Purge ups the melodic ante with more intricate guitar work, more insistent hooks, and a newfound vocal and lyrical conviction that worms its way throughout the record, finding spaces to thrive in the cracks between screams and gentle whispers. Although it seemed as though the project was going to be put to bed, the band had several songs that they still wanted to record and share with the world, and so as a farewell, they released Purge in mid-2017. In between recklessly-paced and relentlessly catchy rippers, Record Setter also finds time for more dreamy detours into tangier post-hardcore territory on songs like standout “Sleep,” which balances a more restrained tempo and delicate guitar melodies with the crunch and heft of the rest of the band’s ouvre.įollowing Dim, Record Setter took a respite as Judy Mitchell was planning to move out of state and the band seemed to find itself at a dead stop.

Dim evokes the heady yet breathless atmosphere of melodic hardcore, echoes of bands like Title Fight and Ages forming the base of Record Setter’s sound while retaining a decidedly gritty lyrical and vocal approach. Starting out as the sibling duo of guitarist and vocalist Judy Mitchell and drummer Jake Mitchell, Record Setter quickly picked up bassist Kyle Pennington to round out their lineup and issued their first release, Dim, in the summer of 2014. Sprouting out of Denton, TX, in 2011, Record Setter is the rare band that pushes itself to newer levels of sonic invention with each and every release.

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