Forward

Which great poet was it who said that a bad childhood is an artist’s greatest asset? During their freshman years, Turn had more than their fair share of teething problems – management changes, line-up glitches, label hitches, major label A&R scouts approaching promisingly, then pulling out faster than a… well, no need for lewd references.

Truth is, rarely has an Irish band been so needlessly exposed to the ‘build ’em up knock ’em down’ antics of the music industry…

Like any artists worth their salt, however, Turn have managed to turn these less-than-savoury experiences into a fertile ground, in which to cultivate a very seasoned and accomplished sound.

Self-releasing often means a complacent attitude to the recording process, and quite a few Irish albums, unfortunately, have adopted a ‘songwriting by numbers’ approach – due in part, at least, to the lack of outside guidance.

Not so in this case – at the production helm is Marc Carolan, fresh from his work on The Thrills’ debut album. Carolan’s execution of these songs is faultless, even inspired in places – ‘You Got Style’ builds to a menacing demon of a track, and ‘Can’t Keep Waiting’ and ‘I Close My Eyes’ are both peppered nicely with heavy guitar fuzz and strings, the perfect sounds of understated emotion.

The songs themselves seem to have been crafted with a glorious mix of pragmatism, humility, anger, hope, love and energy. As an added bonus, they’re catchy as hell, and anything but complacent.

It appears that the ubiquitous Turn may finally silence their critics. With Forward, they have given their fans the album they always knew the band had inside them. Now, it’s time for the world to catch up.