By Cheyenne Young
If we’re lucky and if we’re looking for them, we each have the chance to witness a handful of phenomena in our lifetime. A total eclipse, bioluminescence, sailing stones, the Rangers winning the World Series. These rare occurrences are studied at length and, in most cases, we’ve reached a conclusion. There is one phenomenon that scientists have not yet gotten to the bottom of: the perfect album.
This subjective and deeply divisive topic is impossible to conclude (of course, one correct answer does exist, and that is whatever my personal opinion is at the time). The phenomenon began in 1971 with Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, followed by Ms. Lauryn Hill’s 1998 record The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. I know what you’re thinking, this must bring us to 2016 when Frank Ocean released Blonde. And while yes, Blonde surely makes the list, I first raise you Turnover’s 2015 album Peripheral Vision.
Out of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Turnover, now consisting of bandmates Austin Getz, Casey Getz, Danny Dempsey, and Nick Rayfield, formed in 2009. The band released their debut EP Turnover in 2011, gaining more visibility in 2012 through their split single collaboration with Citizen. They released their debut studio album, Magnolia, in 2013, and on May 4, 2015, released Peripheral Vision under Run for Cover Records.
In 2015, I was seventeen years old, listening to pop punk bands and heading to shows alone in my old Jeep. Getting to the venue hours before doors to wait in line, I would shoulder my way to the barricade and champion the chaos of the pit. Keeping the big Xs on my hands as long as possible, bragging rights for my next day at school. Now, at twenty-seven, I find myself rolling into the venue right as the opener begins and taking my position at the back of the crowd with the other twenty-seven-year-olds; easy access to the bar, the exit to beat the after-show swarm, and enough space to hear each other moan about the parking situation. I don’t remember the exact day that my coolest friend, Georgia, showed me Turnover, but I gather it was around the time of Peripheral Vision’s release. My records (Snapchat memories and the sheer amount of merch I own) claim that I have seen Turnover play around five shows in the last ten years. My files (Spotify wrapped) also show that I have listened to this album an impossible number of times. So, when Turnover announced their ten-year anniversary of Peripheral Vision tour where they would be playing the record in full, front to back, for the first time, that kid in me resurfaced.
On Sunday, May 11th, for the first time in many years, I made my way to the venue hours early. I passed through the doors of the Aztec Theatre like climbing into a time machine; I was seventeen again. Bouncing knees in the merch line and quickly finding my position in the pit. The crowd piled in, and the energy built as Horse Jumper of Love took the stage. The shoegaze band out of Boston, Massachusetts, proved the perfect group to open the show as they performed a few personable, measured songs, including their top track “Ugly Brunette.” Balance & Composure followed suit, a band I was very excited to be seeing for the first time, as I did not think I would ever get the chance. After a four-year hiatus, the group reunited in 2023 and has since released their fourth studio album, With You in Spirit. Bringing us high energy and nostalgia, Balance & Composure more than made up for lost time.
Turnover filed out in a blue hue and the atmospheric intro of “Cutting My Fingers Off.” This track played its part as the perfect introduction to the band’s newer sound in 2015; a handshake between their pop punk beginnings and their newer dream pop releases.
Track three, “Humming,” is one of the first songs I ever attempted to learn on the guitar. The dreamy chords weave throughout the song and build into a beautiful love story that you cannot help but hum. Ironic.
During this show, I found myself relating more to “Hello Euphoria” than I have before. Resonating with the idea of getting older, busier, and more distant. The message of “I made all the same mistakes they told me I’d make,” screaming louder at me with every passing year.
Track eight, “Take My Head,” is where I felt my age again. The mosh pit digested me. Planting my feet and keeping an eye out for the stage divers, I was going through familiar motions. My heart was there, but my decaying ankles were not nearly as enthused.
Closing out a show with “Intrapersonal?” Painful beyond measure. Luckily for us, the band went on to play a few more songs, including “Humblest Pleasures,” “Super Natural,” and closing it out with “Most of the Time” from Magnolia.
I passed back through the doors of the Aztec Theatre like climbing into a time machine; I am twenty-seven again. My back hurts, my feet ache, and I have work tomorrow. The passage of time is somehow visible to me now.
Like all seventeen-year-olds, I knew everything. And like all twenty-seven-year-olds, I know nothing. But somehow with every passing year, each new phase, every misstep, and every redirection, I’ve found myself in these songs. Here’s to ten more years of life, growing pains, and the perfect album.