Co-founded by brothers
John and
Stephen Gomez,
the Summer Set took shape in 2007 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The
Gomez siblings rounded out their lineup with guitarist
John Montgomery, drummer
Jess Bowen, and vocalist
Brian Dales. The teenage quartet chose their name after opening an atlas and happening upon the town of Somerset, New Jersey. Despite the East Coast reference, Arizona proved to be
the Summer Set's muse, as the group took inspiration from local acts like
Jimmy Eat World and the Format while composing its own emo-pop songs. As they gathered a modest audience on social media,
the Summer Set played local shows and issued several EPs, all while still in high school. After graduating, they signed with Razor & Tie. Released in 2009,
Love Like This marked the group's official debut.
Everything's Fine followed in 2011, featuring production by
John Fields (
Jimmy Eat World,
Andrew W.K.) and guest songwriting by
Paul Doucette (
Matchbox Twenty) and
Mike Daly (
Whiskeytown). The band's third album,
Legendary, was issued in early 2013 and featured guest vocals from
Dia Frampton. During the promotional cycle for their fourth LP, Dales revealed that
the Summer Set almost called it quits at the end of 2015, amidst concerns that the band had "run its course." However, despite doubts, they stayed together and completed
Stories for Monday, which was released in April 2016. ~ Andrew Leahey