The Off Set sound like a group of mates writing songs because it is what they love to do. The Places She Only Wished That She Could Go oozes with unpretentious joy. I’ll also admit I have a thing for vocal hooks involving really long sentences, kudos.
I really want to say jangly guitars but need to work on broadening my adjectives. The song contains a lush combination of cacophonous guitars and melodic lead licks that are sweet to the ears and catchy as hell. Not sure if that works but let’s go with it. Backed up by a bouncy rhythm section, it sits somewhere in that late 80’s, early 90’s jangly indie sound pocket.
The vocals sit nicely on top, with plenty of subtle backing bits, and some inspired lyrics like “walking down the streets of Yokohama, staring at the boats out in the harbour”, great stuff. It’s an interesting inspiration for the song subject matter – songwriter Barry Divola getting it from a photo essay about the lost youth of Japan in the lead up to the ‘64 Tokyo Olympics.
The single launch is happening at FOUR5NINE on February 28 and the song is part of an upcoming EP release Stars Shift Over Time.
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