Exciting and fast-paced, Turn Two’s latest EP is uplifting and scruffy. Darkest Days is a gorgeous-sounding EP that blasts by extremely quickly with its breakneck beats, overdriven riffs, and tight songwriting.
Based in Neptune City, New Jersey, Turn Two is a pop punk outfit that started when founding members Shane Maziekien and Matt Favaloro made social posts seeking a singer for a new project inspired by the likes of The Starting Line and Jimmy Eat World. They were led to vocalist Mike Hayden, and bassist Mason Ingling joined soon after, completing the lineup. The sound Turn Two is capable of is a lush and menacing orchestra of battering drumbeats, soulful and passionate vocal yelps, upbeat songwriting, and empowering arrangements.
The album starts with the suburban pop-punk anthem ‘Limiting’, introducing all of the band’s neat and crisp musical talents. The machine gun riffs, calculated build-up, thoughtful lyrics, and powerful deliveries across the board all create an optimistic start to a short but extremely impactful album. ‘That Cat’s Got Soul’ ends almost as soon as it starts. At a minute and a half runtime, the song is hammering fast in its presentation of 3 distinct rhythmic ideas, all of them melodic and memorable. In a way, the extremely short runtime makes the short nugget all that more engaging. On the second listen you perk your ears in an attempt to savor each little guitar chug and rhythmic shift.
‘Medicine (Black & Blue)’ is packed with exciting guitars, just like all other songs on the little album. This time around, the melodic composition is more cohesive throughout the song, making it sound less of an experiment, and more of a conventional piece of thrilling pop-punk that’s gorgeously written, played, and produced. The hefty beats on the following ‘Polaroid’ herald one more conventional and catchier tune that comes with a less melodic and more empowering approach. The jangly guitars and super-fast tempo on the messy and off-kilter ‘Symptoms of Silence’, and the abrasive pacing on the explosive closer, the album’s title track, and its unforgettable melodies end the album on an extremely high note. High in tempo, in fervor, and in energy.
Turn Two’s latest EP is a symphony of barraging tempos, explosive pop-punk riffs, and a charismatic attitude that gets you on your feet and grabs the attention. A talented four-piece that is worth keeping a close eye on.
