Album Review: Setting - "Setting"

The debut, self-titled album from Setting is both remarkable and entrancing, where play and free flowing collaboration is key between the trio.

Thrill Jockey - 2026

Setting are a band based out of the North Carolina / Piedmont area, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Jaime Fennelly, Nathan Bowles, and Joe Westerlund. Setting are also a supergroup of sorts, consisting of members who have been in groups like Califone, Mind Over Mirrors, Sylvan Esso, and Pelt to name a few. The group are extremely collaborative and have a keen attention to detail as well as improvisation, especially through their live shows over the past few years. Now out through the Chicago based Thrill Jockey label, Setting have released a self-titled debut studio album that's both remarkable and entrancing. Setting are a band I literally knew nothing about aside from the Thrill Jockey label, which has been home of Chicago natives Tortoise, The Sea and Cake, Mouse on Mars, The Body, etc. Knowing this, I assume we would be getting some sort of experimental aspect to their music and I was right for sure.

Setting has exploratory instrumental passages that range from seven to eleven minutes each, where play and free flowing collaboration is key between the trio. There are layers upon layers of instrumentation happening where it can all sound like a smooth blend of jazz, electronica, folk, and experimental post rock. There are points ("What Kind of Fish Is a Turtle") where the guitar and synth noises sound like something from a Dave Harrington project, while other points ("Gum Bump") remind me of post rock legends like Tortoise. There are surprising banjo flourishes on the opener "Heard a Bubble" and blissfully glistening chimes on "What Kind of Fish Is a Turtle." "Ribbon of Moss" is much more patient and folky with its presentation, which does flourish and progress more intensely as the song goes through its ten minutes. "Derring-do" has a desert, bluesy groove that's mesmerizing to hear and its wilder and more free-forming percussion really shines bright on the track. Setting sounds great from start to finish and you can clearly hear that the band's practicing and experience is really paying off in the studio. It's mixed seamlessly and plays out like an elongated, hypnotic live set. Hopefully Setting continue to do their thing and continue to make records that bend and shift like this one.

My Rating: 7 / 10

Favorite Songs: "Heard a Bubble," "What Kind of Fish Is a Turtle," "Gum Bump"