Setting is an American instrumental band from Durham, North Carolina.
History Beginnings and Shone a Rainbow Light On (2021-2023) The band was formed in Durham in 2021 by three musicians playing together in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bandmembers Nathan Bowles, Jaime Fennelly, and Joe Westerlund all play multiple instruments, but Westerlund and Bowles had performed as a percussion duo prior to the formation of the trio.
Shone a Rainbow Light On is the debut studio album by Setting. It was released on September 29, 2023, by Paradise of Bachelors.
Shone a Rainbow Light On was met with positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 84, based on 6 reviews, which the website categorized as "universal acclaim".
Daniel Hignell of The Quietus wrote of the album: "The sort of record for which the phrase 'organic drones' was built, Setting have produced a beguiling, earthen record that slots neatly into the pantheon of meandering new-age ambiance. A sort of less ostentatious, less cheesy take on Popol Vuh. The album is reminiscent of some of the more obscure instrumental records on the Constellation label, conjuring a world that is neither as minimal as drone nor as lively as kraut-rock, a passive, repetitive, slow-burning folk aesthetic.
Recent activity (2024-present) The band's studio album was followed by two album releases of live performances, one from a show at Black Mountain College Museum and one from a performance at the Asheville, North Carolina venue Eulogy.Setting At Eulogy. KLOF, September 4, 2024.
Discography Shone a Rainbow Light On (Paradise of Bachelors, 2023) at Black Mountain College Museum (2023) at Eulogy (2024) at Public Records (2025) Setting (Thrill Jockey, 2026)
Accolades Critic/Publication List Rank Ref Uncut Uncuts Best Albums of 2023 (for Shone a Rainbow Light On) —
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