B-Side Guys

Some of the most affecting love songs aren’t about certainty but ambivalence. The Setting Son’s latest single “I Still Can’t Decide What I Want” embraces this territory with unflinching honesty, creating jangle-pop that disguises emotional complexity beneath deceptively bright instrumentation.

The track opens with immediately engaging guitar work—bright, chiming patterns that establish upbeat energy at odds with the narrative uncertainty that follows. This contrast between instrumental optimism and lyrical indecision creates fascinating emotional tension that propels the composition forward. When the chorus hits at the 0:58 mark, this tension reaches its apex, with the melodic surge enhancing rather than resolving the central conflict.

What distinguishes “I Still Can’t Decide What I Want” from standard relationship fare is its unvarnished depiction of simultaneous possibilities. The narrator’s situation—”For a month we’ve been together, for a month she’s been my new girl”—creates immediate temporal framework that suggests both freshness and tentativeness. This “new girl” relationship exists in direct competition with lingering attachment, creating emotional paralysis despite surface-level progress.

The vocal delivery deserves particular attention for its nuanced emotional navigation. Rather than resorting to melodramatic flourishes, the singer conveys genuine conflict through subtle tonal shifts—warmth when describing potential future with the new partner, wistful longing when admitting “Every time we’re out on a walk my eyes starts searching for you.” This performance transforms what might be interpreted as selfishness into more sympathetic human confusion.

Most compelling is how the song explores the gap between intellectual and emotional certainty. The line “Though she’s speaking of a life that I want” appears repeatedly, suggesting the narrator recognizes theoretical compatibility even while feeling emotional pull elsewhere. This division between rational understanding and irrational attachment creates the song’s central poignancy—knowing what makes sense versus knowing what feels right.

The production approach enhances these thematic elements through careful balance of clarity and warmth. Each instrumental element occupies distinct sonic territory while contributing to cohesive emotional landscape. The jangle-pop aesthetic references indie traditions while avoiding mere pastiche, creating sound that feels both familiar and fresh—much like the competing relationship dynamics described in the lyrics.

As preview of their forthcoming album “Cul-De-Sac” (releasing June 6th), “I Still Can’t Decide What I Want” suggests thematic preoccupation with limitation and circular patterns. The album title itself—referencing residential dead-end streets—reinforces this sense of constraint, perhaps suggesting the narrator’s emotional predicament represents broader human tendency toward indecision and self-sabotage.

For listeners caught in their own emotional crossroads, The Setting Son offers not resolution but recognition—confirming that sometimes indecision itself is the most honest position, however uncomfortable it may be.