Turnover – Blue Dream EP (2014)

turnover

Turnover is a band that is becoming known for its change in sound/direction with every new release put out. The band’s remarkably different debut full length, Magnolia, got a pretty positive response. The band then took the style it had on Magnolia and progressed it even further on “I Would Hate You If I Could,” which appeared on a four-way split with Such Gold, Maker and Ivy League. Since being released, the track has become a fan favourite. Now Turnover is back with a three-song EP entitled Blue Dream. I was very curious to see which direction the band was going to take next. It’s no surprise that Turnover has, yet again, put out its best material with Blue Dream.

“Disintegration” welcomes you to the EP with a soothing lead guitar riff. Soon after, the vocals come in, displaying those heartfelt lyrics that every Turnover fan is familiar with. About two-thirds of this track is just electric guitar and vocals, which is new for the band. The song feels dark, yet relaxing – and it gets pretty intense towards the end; the last minute and a half of “Disintegration” is aggressive and breathtaking – which is a beautiful combination. Things calm down a bit for the beginning of “Read My Mind.” The track houses a chorus that is sure to get drilled into your brain, though, and it also contains some of my favourite guitar work I’ve heard from Turnover. It’s a very memorable, refreshing song that displays a whole new side of the band. The last song on Blue Dream is entitled “Bella Donna.” A song that completely caught me off guard, it’s littered with southern guitar riffs and catchy melodies. The track also has some hints of indie-rock throughout. It’s a direction I never saw this band going in, but it works incredibly well. Although the style of this song is unlike anything Turnover has done in the past, it definitely still feels like a Turnover song, and it’s a great closer to a great EP.

Overall, I feel like Blue Dream is the members of Turnover letting fans know they are still progressing and experimenting with the band’s sound. At the same time, it is not a change that will cause fans to lose interest. It does quite the opposite, actually, and I believe the band is going to gain a lot of new fans from this release, as it is Turnover’s most accessible material yet. It’s hard to find a band in this scene that is comfortable experimenting as much as this band does. Turnover’s progression is an extremely admirable thing. If Blue Dream is a taste of the band’s next full length, then I think people need to prepare for a record that is going to be one of the biggest sounding pieces of music to come out of this scene in quite some time.