Track: I set the Sea on Fire release new single, W.A.K.E.

I set the sea on fire are a five piece outfit from the city of Sheffield. It consists of Billy Washington on vocals and guitar, Peter Jenkins, vocals and bass, drummer Josh Knight, Joss Allsopp , vocals and trumpet, and Megan Washington on vocals, percussion and keyboard.

They formed in 2011, and after starting out playing pubs and clubs and have built up to share stages with Reverend & The Makers, Little Comets, King Charles and Roots Manuva, and have played all over the region and further afield.

Listening to their latest release (it came out in February) W.A.K.E. what strikes you is that I set the Sea on Fire actually write good, and in some cases really good indie pop songs. The title track is a case in point. More stripped back than the earlier Lullabies, it’s a straight forward indie singalong, albeit with that (it’s becoming a trademark) quirkyness, reminiscent of Los Campesinos and that ilk. The only criticism I can level at it is its rather woolly production, but in the end it sort of adds to the DIY charm of it all.

You get the feeling that I set the Sea on Fire have all the songwriting tools anyone could want already in the bag. When they settle on a sound, (and that’s not a criticism – that’s just growing as a band) then they’re going to be in danger of being very popular indeed. And not just in little old Sheffield.