B-Side Guys

Some confessions arrive as whispers rather than screams. On “Set Something On Fire,” Christchurch duo The Response has crafted a meditation on stasis that paradoxically creates its own momentum, transforming the mundane into something mysteriously compelling.

The track opens with a reversed mellotron that immediately signals artistic intention—a deliberate nod to The Beatles’ psychedelic period that establishes temporal displacement before a single word is uttered. This production choice creates the perfect environment for the song’s central tension: the desire for impact colliding with self-imposed limitations.

What follows is a masterclass in minimalism, with each instrumental element occupying its own careful space. The reverb-soaked guitar and understated rhythm section create an atmosphere where silence becomes as important as sound—a sonic landscape that feels simultaneously expansive and intimate, like thoughts echoing in an empty room.

Lyrically, the track dissects the peculiar malaise of knowing you want more without knowing precisely what. “I spent my change I fell out of line/I wish you’d wait but who’s got the time?” establishes immediate narrative tension between aspiration and reality. The protagonist’s self-description as “beige to the core” serves as both self-deprecation and honest assessment—an acknowledgment of ordinariness that feels refreshingly authentic in an era of carefully curated exceptionalism.

Most revealing is the contrast between the narrator’s situation and that of their counterpart: “You’re strapped to a rocket like a flying trapeze/I’m stuck in the cellar oh I’m caught with ease.” This juxtaposition between movement and stagnation, visibility and hiddenness, creates the emotional foundation for the chorus’s central desire: “Oh it’s all I want/To light something on fire.”

The Response’s jazz background emerges in subtle ways—not through obvious instrumental flourishes but in their comfort with space and their willingness to let moments breathe. The wordless bridge vocals layer into harmonies that feel both structured and spontaneous, creating emotional release without relying on conventional lyrical resolution.

For a band described by NZ Musician as “indie pop at its carefully crafted best,” “Set Something On Fire” showcases how restraint can be more powerful than excess. The duo has transformed feelings of purposelessness into something purposeful—a quiet combustion that illuminates the beauty in even our most unremarkable moments.