Stream: The Active Set, ‘In Between Lovers’

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The Active Set (Photo by Michelle Shiers)

Singer-songwriter Matthew Stolarz’s project the Active Set has remained resolutely impossible to pigeonhole ever since releasing their debut album, “11,” on 11-11-11. One second they’d be throwing darts of math-y guitars, the next they’re post-punking or new-waving like it’s the ’80s.

After a second album in 2015 and an EP the following year, the Active Set went largely silent. In 2020 they released “Difficulties,” billed as the first single from their third album, and last week they returned with “In Between Lovers,” produced with Travis Warner.

It checks in on the … well, prettier side of the Active Set’s catalog, with a creamy chorus oozing heartbreak and resignation. “I’m in between lovers / And I’ve got nothing to show for my time,” Stolarz sings, insisting “I’ve got nothing, nothing,” when, at the very least, he has a 3 1/2-minute pop song to show for his trouble.

||| Stream: “In Between Lovers”