If you're familiar with Turnover, then you'd know about their musical shift over the last couple years. 2013's Magnolia was a pop-punk record along the lines of Saves The Day and Transit, while Peripheral two years ago saw a transition to a thick, dense and moody brand. Basically, they became a hazy shoegaze act, which producer Will Yip churned out in spades. Title Fight and Citizen are a couple other bands he helped change lanes similarly, and Turnover was the latest. Now, Good Nature finds all their aggression officially scrubbed and distilled into a dream-pop act, creating soothing melodies a la Beach House.
The first three tracks (especially "Sunshine Type") really punctuate that Beach House comparison -- wistful and shimmery to say the least. Yip's back again and they're once more on Run For Cover, so it's nice to see an entire team effort in how the band's soundscape has gotten less rocky and more gorgeous. Austin Getz's vocals float on the lush melodies but keeping that in mind, things get a bit repetitive. And really quickly.
They're now a three-piece so truth be told, I thought they'd go back to their sound of old instead of pressing forward. Why? Well their 2015 sound, while decent, feels at present like a sound that would get drowned out in the mix and it really doesn't differentiate them that much. So to go past that point in the spectrum into poppier jams which I swear feels like Ed Sheeran or Justine Beiber with Beach House, feels a bit safe. I also thought they would shy away from change and go back to a comfortable skin.That said, they're good at this sound. It could have been rougher (I'm thinking of the last Sidekicks record here) but for what it's worth, Turnover nail this minimalistic style pretty well. "Pure Devotion" and "Breeze" are prime examples of this.
By the time the record ends, with the lyrics ingested, it's also obvious that Getz is in a different place. He talked about maturing, adjusting to spending too much time away on tour, and the effect their trip has had on relationships on the whole -- for the entire band and not just him. These chats put a lot into context. Turnover just want it chill and hey, a bit dance-y. "Bonnie (Rhythm & Melody)" reiterates that point, like an homage to Paramore. Dance-pop or dance-rock, or whatever you want to call it. All things said, Turnover have earned this respite. Good Nature is mellow and laid-back, everything they intended it to be. Hopefully, they add a hard rock or indie edge on the next effort as I think that sound suits them better.