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Turnover craft an even oozier album than the one that broke them out

How to gauge the popularity of an alternative band has changed vastly from 10 years ago. In order to find the next big thing, one could easily check the charts for a fairly accurate look at who’s making waves in the scene. Nowadays however, you’re better off checking Reddit or social media communities. I mean, there is an alternative chart, but they merely scratch the surface. Sure, Imagine Dragons and Twenty One Pilots are big bands, but their massive appeal skews the charts in their favor. Hell, Journey’s hit ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ is No.9 on the rock streams chart… 36 years after it released.

Turnover aren’t going to dominate charts anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean their popularity is any less authentic. In fact, 2015’s ‘Peripheral Vision’ catapulted the Virginia Beach group to scene stardom. Their music, once your run-of-the-mill pop punk, morphed into gentle, atmospheric dream pop. Pop punk and emo subreddits flooded with questions such as “songs like ‘Hello Euphoria?’ and ‘bands like Turnover?’ For an act in a scene like modern-day alternative, that might as well be the equivalent of topping the charts.

‘Good Nature,’ the band’s first project post-prestige, takes what ‘Peripheral Vision’ toyed with and runs with it. It’s kind of like that Cam Newton gif, where he acknowledges that something has happened whilst nodding, then goes forth to do something about it. Turnover seemed to have found their niche within the scene, almost as if they’re saying “by George, I think we’ve got it.”

With that being said, the band has definitely listened to fans clamoring for more of their dream pop sound. ‘Good Nature’ is even more hazy than the last LP, opting for more slower-ebbing song structures than the tracks that littered ‘Peripheral Vision.’ At times the group pulls it off, with songs like ‘Butterfly Dream’ and lead single ‘Super Natural’ providing the optimal soundtrack to a smoke-filled dorm room or a relaxing day at the beach.

However, the biggest difference between ‘Peripheral Vision’ and ‘Good Nature’ happens to be the latter’s weakness. The pitch of the guitars have increased in sound and volume, and while it’s at times charming, it can be taxing, especially as the album progresses. The band is obviously trying to create a vibe, but that vibe can wear out its welcome to the point of exhaustion, like when you’re sweating from the acid that the band probably used as part of the creative process.

Turnover’s sense of rhythm – perhaps their greatest strength – however is still intact. Austin Getz’s vocals float comfortably across the soothing compositions, and his bandmates perform equally as strong. The record’s drumming though gets pretty repetitive, almost to the point where songs sound the same. This unfortunately adds to the taxing problem it already suffers, but the songs are good enough to where you probably won’t mind it.

The rise of emogaze has given fans a new taste of what angst and girl problems can sound like. Turnover is among the best, and that continues with ‘Good Nature.’ Even if it’s probably not as good as the album that rose them to prominence, it’s still a solid effort. You can still put it on when you’re driving across the country or stuck in your room wishing you were anywhere but there. Most importantly though, you can still smoke weed to it.

Good Nature is available now via Run For Cover Records.


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