For the majority of Turnover fans, listening to Down On Earth for the first time will be a rollercoaster. The highs are moments that resemble their 2015 touchstone dream pop emo phenomenon Peripheral Vision in any way at all, and the lows are every time it veers from that in a strange, confusing, incohesive way. That’s not to say that bands shouldn’t explore, it’s to say that Peripheral Vision is so widely regarded as a perfect album, that one will never be enough.
Although 2017’s Good Nature was a great follow up, the hope and excitement around Turnover has been on a slow decline ever since, which is why Down On Earth is inevitably cursed to comparison. Sadly, it doesn’t match up to the potential that it was always going to be up against.
The first two singles added to the anticipation for Turnover to return to their forte. ‘Nightjar’ ticks every box, the calm, reassuring vocals complement the introspective, playful lyrics and steady, whimsical instrumentation. It sounds like a low to middle-rated song from either of their most popular albums, and it sparked a hope that the phase was over and the best was yet to come. ‘I See You And Realize’ did the opposite but the unusual attempt at a completely different vocal style, one that resembles a Robert Smith impersonator, was forgivable solely because of ‘Nightjar’.
“Wheelie For No One” opens the album with just enough about it to keep the hope alive, the two singles follow, then “My Hand Is A Curtain” finally fuels some real excitement for Down On Earth. It’s laidback, melodic, emotional, and lyrically interesting, and it feels grounded and carefully curated in a reminiscent way. It’s downhill from there. The stylistic choices make most songs sound like they’re from completely different albums, “I’m Up, I’m Up” vocally resembles an Oasis cover, “Little Bees Don’t Bite” features an irritating and distracting sound effect for its entirety, “Ultrasensitive” jarringly changes melody throughout, and most others feel like fillers.
My advice would be skip to “My Hand Is A Curtain” then go back to 2015-2017.
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