Turnover

Peripheral Vision (2015)

RENALDO69

Turnover's Magnolia was a pretty good pop-punk album, bordering between influences like Saves The Day and contemporaries/peers such as Transit. However, they've made it abundantly clear that with age comes change. Peripheral Vision sees a shift into a more moody, atmospheric musical style and one that's guided by their gradually growing influences as well as a desire not to be shoeboxed into one specific genre all the time.

They're much more indie and shimmery as opposed to alternative or pop-punk this time around and feel more open. Bits of shoegaze overlay a heavily built-up melodic stance by Turnover which leaves an album that old fans should embrace with an open mind. The levels of distortion and echo brought about the the pedal effect really work over Eric Soucy and Austin Getz on guitars and instrumentally, it jumps out at you off the cuff how shaken up and stirred things have become. The latter's vocals also feel withdrawn and depressive to match the broody layout of Peripheral Vision and this weighs so much on the listener. Note, I'll admit that things do get a bit over-depressive at times but not enough to upset you or throw you off. "Cutting Off My Fingers" and "New Scream" illustrate this with their dark lyrics - descriptively gruesome but still poetically descriptive. There are a lot of moods wrapped up here as Getz comes off distant at times, then fuzzed out at others. Pensive. Sad. And again, lyrically dark. "Diazepam" is another of these dense, richly textured jams that really stand out as a haunting contrast to the lighhearted body of work casting a shadow from Turnover's past.

Not everything's all gloom and doom though. You get a strong shot of indie-pop off "Take My Head" which is a wispy, breezy summer tune. It also feels much more optimistic than the majority of what Getz sings about. Despite morphing into this new brand, Turnover still sticks to their melodic appeal and it's no surprise how their sophomore full-length has shaped up. Especially when you consider Will Yip produced. Yup, that's the same dude who had a hand in re-purposing and engineering the new musical styles of bands like Pianos Become The Teeth and Title Fight. Sometimes, the record becomes too drowned in pop-melancholy and narrow but overall things really never get too one-tracked or one-dimensional (as per Title Fight's Hyperview).

Things feel like an organic evolution here and the music doesn't come off forced at all. It's an expansive and sincere addition to a band that again, ideally needed some differentiating, but more importantly, it's a deviation from the norm that works. They were good at what they did before but definitely felt like a few risks needed to be taken. In doing so, they've crafted a thoughtful, warm album that somehow comforts you amid so many tragic stories. In its contemplative nature, Peripheral Vision will be either hit or miss; that's for damn sure. There'll be no in-between. Personally, I'm absorbed in the emotional toll of this album and can't wait to see how they move on from this. It feels like the right course of action for this Virginia Beach quartet.