Setting

Watch the new music video for Setting's “What Kind of Fish is a Turtle” from their new self-titled album (out now on Thrill Jockey). Directed by the award winning surfing filmmaker/photographer Morgan Maassen, the track and music video are rich and fluid, crashing together like waves in slow motion. Setting said “Morgan Maassen’s immersive, buoyant video for “What Kind of Fish is a Turtle” seems so intertwined with the music’s pitch, yaw, and roll that you’d be forgiven for thinking that the two were created as a piece to complement and augment one another, but this specific collaboration came to fruition well after the music was recorded. The inky half-light and glassy shimmer of his footage seems to both birth the music and bloom from within it, a breathtaking effect that leaves the viewer/listener wondering which way is up. We are so, so chuffed to share this slice of kismet audio-visual symbiosis with y’all." You can see the full music video on youtube via the link in our bio, where you can also see Setting's current tour dates and tickets. Upcoming shows at: @snugharbornc May 12 @flickertheatre May 13 @badearl May 14 @hawriverballroom May 15 @ayurpranalisteningroom May 16 @nelsonvillefest June 18-20 @theoutsideonwyso at @foundrytheaterantioch June 22 @trinosophes June 23 @tonepresents at @thejama____ June 24 @suoniperilpopolo June 25 @solidsoundfest at @massmoca June 27 @pickathon on July 30

“Setting” reviewed on @pitchfork this morning. Thank you Jesse Jarnow for connecting all the dots and expansive, insightful writing. Southeast shows coming up next week! All dates on the settingsounds.com site!

Big Ears was cooking! Thanks for having us and for everyone who crammed themselves into Jig & Reel for two sets last Saturday night. Announcements…. We have an in-person listening party on the horizon for the new s/t album on @thrilljockey - out on April 24! Thurs, 4/23, 6-8pm - @alldayrecords Carrboro, NC We’ll be enjoying some bevs and snacks and listening through the album together, and of course the record in tow. …and for the digitally inclined…. Fri, 4/17, 2-3pm - @bandcamp Bandcamp Listening Party bring your witty remarks and emojis, or just listen without potchking with your ⌨️ @settingsounds at Big Ears, Knoxville, TN - 2026 photos by @travisgillett

Sunday night (5/17))we will be celebrating the release of our new @settingsounds album on @thrilljockey at @hawriverballroom in Saxapahaw, NC. It’s going to be a really special evening, and to top it all off, we have @waltmcclements joining us for an opening set. Doors at 7. Music at 8. And tonight (Saturday - 5/16) we’ll be performing at @ayurpranalisteningroom in Asheville - our home away from home. See ya soon! Music video by the great @morganmaassen . Full video in the links section

Jaime Fennelly, Nathan Bowles, and Joe Westerlund are all seasoned multi-instrumentalists who have been improvising for most of their musical careers. Since getting together in 2021, the trio has formed a special bond and as Setting they’ve released three live albums and two studio records including “Setting,” their new one and first for the Chicago-based Thrill Jockey Records. Setting will be celebrating the release of that record on Sunday night at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw. They sat down with WUNC to talk about the new record ahead of the show. Read all about it at wuncmusic.org. ✍️ @brian__burns__ 📸 @grahamtlbrtfoto

Just a little under 2 weeks until the beautiful sounds from @settingsounds fill our room - They're celebrating their new album release here on 5/17, with @waltmcclements ! Tickets are on sale now, at our link in bio!

Cosmic improv / electronic minimalist trio Setting plays June 24th at The Jama in support of their new record out on Thrill Jockey. Toronto psych fusion crew High Alpine Hut Network and electronic dream jazz duo Shabason / Gunning open the night! SETTING The North Carolina Piedmont-based trio of multi-instrumentalists Jaime Fennelly (Mind Over Mirrors), Nathan Bowles (Black Twig Pickers) and Joe Westerlund (Califone) subvert expectations while creating a sense of ease and wonderment. Their intricate interplay of synthesizers, cassette loops, banjo, keyboards, electronics, zithers, and a litany of percussive instruments form a tactile amalgam of celestial transcendence and terrestrial rhythm, a loamy pulse fluidly guiding every minute fluctuation in feel. Setting’s self-titled album (Thrill Jockey) is a robust wellspring of hypnagogic grooves and mosaic textures. HIGH ALPINE HUT NETWORK High Alpine Hut Network is a psychedelic fusion group that has released 2 EP's & are currently working on their first full length album. "We are an improvising band that focus’ on immediate connection. As individuals, we became stumped by our previous groups solely performing worked out arrangements & decided to form a project dedicated to intentional, non-judgemental improvisations. Our common goal is to honour the present moment & allow ourselves to change shape based on the mood of the members, the surroundings & the energy of the audience." SHABASON / GUNNING Toronto dream-duo Joseph Shabason and Ben Gunning map fragmented cityscapes from bent electronics and late-night FM jazz transmissions. After recording their debut in a remote cottage in Northern Ontario, the duo relocated their jams to Shabason’s Toronto studio where they gained unlimited access to a virtual cornucopia of analog and digital gear and had the time to really push those instruments to the brink. Fuelled with off-brand club soda, the ethos was to infuse the music itself with a sense of discovery. It’s heart is warm and human, favouring performance and play over presets and quantization. If J Dilla was able to teach an MPC jazz, Shabason / Gunning aim to teach their hardware the ECM version. 8pm $20

Happy May Day Bandcamp Friday! Get on it! New s/t album has been out in the world for a week and we are getting ready for the beginnings of touring which all starts in less than 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone who has gripped the vinyl/cd/dl. ✊ May 12 - Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor May 13 - Athens, GA @ Flicker Theater May 14 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl May 16 - Asheville, NC - AyurPrana Listening Room May 17 - Saxapahaw, NC - Haw River Ballroom (Album Release show) June 20 - Nelsonville, OH - Nelsonville Festival June 22 - Yellow Springs, OH - Foundry Theater @ Antioch College - The Outside Presents June 23 - Detroit, MI - Trinosophes June 24 - Toronto, ON - TONE Toronto @ The Jama June 25 - Montreal, QB - Suoni Per Il Popolo June 26-28 - North Adams, MA - Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival @ MASS MoCA July 30 - Aug 2 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Sept 3-6 - Chicago, IL - Sound & Gravity (photo of @settingsounds by @annapowelldenton at @bigearsfestival )

Huge congratulations on the album @settingsounds To this trio of beautiful souls and brilliant players- I’m so grateful to have worked on this record with you. our time at @_dropofsun_ was inspiring, happy, challenging, hilarious, fluid, and fun. Let’s do another! Catch them live asap, y’all! Record out on @thrilljockey Produced engineer mixed by @adam.mcdaniel.dos Mastered by @joshbonati First photo @grahamtlbrtfoto Last photo @tunneldunker

𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝑺𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 is OUT today on Thrill Jockey Records! We began our journey with this material in January of 2025 at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, NC with the ever-imaginative and insightful Adam McDaniel at the mixing desk. Further shaping took place in the following few months, and our self-titled statement (appropriately named as it only features the three members of the trio) was complete. This project continues our collaboration with Josh Bonati (mastering) and Timothy Breen (artwork) from our studio debut. We are thrilled to have this released on Thrill Jockey! Available today everywhere! See you out there… May 12 - Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor May 13 - Athens, GA @ Flicker Theater May 14 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl May 16 - Asheville, NC - AyurPrana Listening Room May 17 - Saxapahaw, NC - Haw River Ballroom (Album Release show) June 20 - Nelsonville, OH - Nelsonville Festival June 22 - Yellow Springs, OH - Foundry Theater @ Antioch College - The Outside Presents June 23 - Detroit, MI - Trinosophes June 24 - Toronto, ON - TONE Toronto @ The Jama June 25 - Montreal, QB - Suoni Per Il Popolo June 26-28 - North Adams, MA - Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival @ MASS MoCA July 30 - Aug 2 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Sept 3-6 - Chicago, IL - Sound & Gravity

join us at @_dropofsun_ on friday, april 24th from 6:30-9:00pm for @settingsounds full-album release listening party. 6:30: doors 7:00: listen - studio live room doors close promptly at 7, late arrivals can enjoy from control room or mezzanine 7:45: q&a - with the band and producer @adam.mcdaniel.dos 8-9:00: mingle w/ fellow setting-heads - snacks and drinks provided as dedicated improvisers with years working together, setting has developed their own idiosyncratic vernacular and sense of flow. the band’s newest self-titled album is a definitive statement of their improvisational acumen meeting compositional rigor, a robust wellspring of hypnagogic grooves and mosaiced textures. Setting’s s/t album releases 4/24 on @thrilljockey space is limited, rsvp is required. link in bio. album artwork by: @fieldofgrass.design photo: @grahamtlbrtfoto

Today at 2pm eastern we will be streaming the first full length play of our s/t @thrilljockey album on Bandcamp! Come one, come all. We’ll be in the chat too! Album comes out a week from today. Link in bio to the bc listening party