For my second installment in Discography Review, I’m taking a look at a band that made a drastic change in their music over the span of their albums, one where the first release is basically unrecognizable compared to their most recent. Turnover, hailing from Virginia Beach, VA, has quite a few albums and EPs under their belt. Let’s take a look at how the band has progressed since its formation in 2009.

As most bands do, Turnover got their start with an EP called Demo in 2009, to test the waters of their talents. This then led to a self-titled EP in 2011. This traditional Pop-Punk outing was a good first look at what the musicians had to offer and is adequate at best. It doesn’t really jump out at the listener but it’s far from an offensive listen. You can’t expect a band to reinvent the wheel in their debut and at the very least, this introduction off Broken Rim Records was enough to show the band had promise.

Then, Turnover released their debut, Magnolia. In the echelon of Pop-Punk, this release is more driven and thought-out than the EP, with more slow-paced jams like “To The Bottom” and “Pray for Me.” While this is a vast improvement over the EP, the meager production and adherence to genre genericism left Magnolia without the “it-factor” to truly make a splash within their respective scene. So, at this point, what if the band reinvented themselves?

Turnover did just that. 2015 saw the band release Peripheral Vision. This is a hallmark album that saw a bold change from Pop-Punk to Dream Pop. I’ll admit that it didn’t stick with me at first but I let it simmer, gave it another chance, and have been in love ever since. With dreamy guitars, a vocal presentation that evokes immense emotion, and top-notch production, this gateway saw Turnover explode in popularity. This addictive album was a risk that paid off and would shape my music tastes along with Title Fight’s Hyperview and HUNDREDTH’s RARE.

So, with a whirlwind album under their belt, Turnover had fans aching for a great follow-up. In 2017, Good Nature released. After the vast shift from Magnolia to Peripheral Vision, it was not a simple task to deliver after gargantuan amounts of anticipation. Luckily, Good Nature is a serviceable addition to the discography. Even more laid-back and casual than its predecessor, hits like “Super Natural” and “Sunshine Type” are considered the band’s best songs by several fans. It’s not on par with Peripheral Vision, but Good Nature made for more solid Turnover tunes.

This brings us to the most recent album, Altogether. Taking one look at the reviews, one would think this album is blasphemy, with 4+5/10s from the likes of DIY and Pitchfork. In all honesty, I don’t find it to be at this level of disappointment, even with my love of Peripheral Vision.

The distant guitars, vocal harmonies, and calming vibe actually make Altogether quintessential music to relax to. Between the memorable riff in “Plant Sugar” and the bongos in “Sending Me Right Back,” Turnover gets out of their comfort zone enough on Altogether to add a bit more substance to the discography, even if it isn’t groundbreaking.

From 2011’s Turnover to 2019’s Altogether, Turnover proves to be a fun listen. The problem is, the latter half of their backlog is best listened to in a specific environment/mindset to absorb the emotional display. Turnover was a pretty middle-of-the-road Pop-Punk outfit but a revolutionary iteration in Dream-Pop, serving as a gateway band for the genre. I wouldn’t put them in a realm where every single song can be lauded, but the back half of Turnover’s catalog is astounding and can appeal to a wide audience without lacking merit. All in all, Turnover is worth the time to discover and branch out.

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Turnover

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Prime Chill Music
• Diversity From Start To Finish
• Gateway Dreampop Band

Cons

• Peaked In 2015
• Some Songs Stand Out Much More Than Others