Run For Cover Records · August 25th, 2017

[three_fourth]Turnover’s third full-length, Good Nature, is a stunning take on love, perspective, and growth, accompanied by warm guitar and vocals throughout. Singer Austin Getz describes love as being “soft as velvet” in “Bonnie (Rhythm & Melody),” which is also an appropriate description for the album itself. Laced with the smoothest transitions, 

is something you find yourself wanting to soak in entirely, and the way the transitions create such a cohesive and pieced together album, you barely notice you are moving onto a completely different track.

, set the bar extremely high for Turnover, the trio managed to not disappoint. Despite there being some low moments, the album flows masterfully, which is entirely fitting of the album’s theme. The openers “Super Natural” and “Sunshine Type” set the tone for both the sound and the lyrics for the entire album, creating an aura of warmth and sincerity.

This album’s sunny vibe is not for everyone, especially if Turnover’s darker lyrics from 

are a requirement for liking the band. This difference in lyrical content is apparent when you look at a song like “Take My Head” off 

with the lyrics “I want to smash my face until it’s nothing but ears” to the “Bonnie (Rhythm & Melody)” line, “Now all I can hear is rhythm and melody in my ears”. However, the darkness from 

still shines through in the track “What Got In The Way,” where Austin sings and hums along to a fitting melody about the curiosity behind a failed relationship. Even when he describes the walls that he had built around himself falling down as “the prettiest sound that I’ve ever heard” in “Butterfly Dream,” the somberness from the previous album is still there to tease you sweetly. The darker tones find themselves perfectly contrasting with the lush tones of songs like “Pure Devotion,” “Curiosity,” and “Bonnie,” which speak of commitment, the importance of an open perspective, and loving someone. This distinction shines through with the way the band utilizes Austin’s voice to match the guitar accents and pacing, creating a balanced sound that alternates between the two tones. The eighth song “Breeze” is a perfect example of this contrast that the instrumentation creates. Each track sounds absolutely gorgeous in different ways while still keeping the album’s overall vibe strong.

Despite the mellow beauty caked throughout, the album still finds itself plagued with a few weak moments, but they are little and far between. “All That It Ever Was” and “Living Small” break the flow that made this album close to perfect. “All That It Ever Was

” although a good song on its own, does not fit the mold set by the band for this album and ruins the streak of perfect transitions, as it’s more of an intermission for the ending of the album than a fitting song. “Living Small” does not hold a torch to the other songs as far as memorability goes, feeling unnecessarily slow and mundane, and it’s the only song from the album with a frustrating amount of repetition. However, the highlights of the album, such as the heart-fluttering inducing bridge of “Nightlight Girl” and the perfectly thought-out guitar bridge in “Breeze,” more than make up for the low points.

is a more than memorable album, with rich guitar sprinkled throughout that perfectly complements Austin’s tranquil vocals. The lyrics and their delivery make you want to believe in love, which is quite a feat coming from a dreamy emo band such as Turnover, who have themselves critiqued happy, summer songs in their previous album. The album not only satisfies, but also gives you more than you were asking of it by forcing you to lend your mind briefly to its loving perspectives on life, making you grateful in the process.

Turnover Release Third Full-Length ‘Good Nature’

Deafheaven has been labeled as a “hipster” metal band ever since the release of their debut album 

. Pitchfork’s obsession with them changed the way a lot of “real” metal fans viewed the band, but despite this label, this post-black metal band from San Francisco played to a crowd of diverse and typical metalheads at Fête Ballroom in Providence, RI.

The real beauty behind Deafheaven is their unique addition to metal, bringing something new to subgenres with a common sound and lyrical imagery. If you’re a metal fan, you’ll recognize that the usual behavior of metal bands is long hair and angry lyrics. Especially in the subgenre of black metal, there is a large focus on anti-religious lyrics and imagery, building on the trash undertones of the genre. Deafheaven defies this stereotype, and has brought something unique and interesting to the table, and their performance reflects this. Each of their seven songs on their setlist had an unmatched ferocity, supported by singer George Clarke, who played conductor for not only the rest of the band, but the audience too. The remaining members were on stand-by, giving George the room to walk about and interact.

Opening with “Brought to the Water” off their most recent EP, 

, the band possessed a very balanced intensity that matches their music. Dressed in all black, including his usual atypical choice of black dress shoes and wet hair, George engaged the crowd while impressing everyone with his vocals and passion for his music, shown through his onstage presence. Every headbang and hand motion of his was perfectly and impressively timed with the music. Even though George was energetic, I can’t say the same for the rest of the band. While George was taking full advantage of the platform, the rest of the members stuck to their instrument areas onstage. Granted, if the whole band was on the same level as George in terms of intensity, the quality of their performance might have been diluted.

Moving onto the older track “From Kettle Onto the Coil”, a heavier and less melodic track than the previous, the crowd really seemed to warm up to the band. You could see that for some fans, seeing Deafheaven live was a very therapeutic and, in a way, religious experience. Black metal lyrics tend to have themes of anti-religious, mythology, anger, and the occasional bout of depression, and there’s usually not a real beauty to them, but Deafheaven is one of the exceptions to this norm, with beautiful imagery about living, dying, and loving. This imagery was felt through the fans and the strong powered movements from George. They banged their heads and cheered as George moved wildly about the stage.

Lyrics like these allow for many melodic moments, something present in all their songs. Their most known song “Dreamhouse” is the highlight of this. The twelve-minute track is filled with the usual heaviness of any black metal song, while also maintaining a melancholy beauty. Leading into the melodic climax of the song, a sort of appreciation washed over the audience for how beautiful and intense Deafheaven was during their performance. As George screams, “I want to dream”, referencing death, the band shows their true character and tone.

After “Dreamhouse” came the instrumental song “Irresistible”, allowing for a pause from the chaos of the set. In my opinion, few bands can really pull off having an instrumental in the middle of their set, but with a band like Deafheaven, it makes perfect sense. Their music has such a massive amount of emotion to it that requires a moment of pure calmness, and “Irresistible” is that perfectly placed moment. With two more songs left, “Sunbather” and “Unrequited”, Deafheaven continued to bring their best with alluring moments of disarray and gracefulness, while maintaining great energy throughout the night. Despite some of the hatred they often receive from the metal scene by being invited to play at mainstream festivals like Coachella, Deafheaven is a breath of fresh air in what can often be a stale and slow genre at times. Their performance at Fête reminded me and the crowd of this, giving me a new and stronger appreciation for the band.

Deafheaven @ Fête Ballroom

 instead of being stuck in the cold waiting in line, I was lucky enough to witness one of the best opening bands I have ever seen. I usually hate having to stand through openers, but 

 is one of the best I have heard in awhile. The band is from the UK, just like The Japanese House, and they’re an all female group who reminded me of an indie rock version of The Runaways (except without the sexualizing teenage girls aspect). Opening with “Silent Movie Susie”, the band displayed an incredibly aggressive presence and an ability to write insanely catchy songs. During each song, the girls, aside from their drummer Fern, found themselves nuzzling one another on stage and showing how much fun they were truly having while performing. Playing an array of songs, including a Madonna cover of “Beautiful Stranger” that the bassist believes is better than the original and some tracks off their upcoming debut album 

, I think The Big Moon had quite a big effect on everyone in the tightly packed venue – especially the older gentleman in front of me who awarded the girls with the title of the best band of 2016.

Although The Big Moon was an insane highlight of the night, The Japanese House was even better, which says a lot. Jumping right into “Clean”, Amber Bain was able to successfully bring her characteristic studio sound to the stage in a lighter way through less modified vocals. However, with a press on her pedalboard, Amber was able to layer her vocals, allowing her to achieve her signature sound. Despite being incredibly jetlagged from her flight to the U.S. the day before, Amber was able to offer the crowd her best, playing all of her released songs.

During “Sugar Pill”, Amber proved her vocal abilities with her chorus of varied ooh’s and ahh’s. The heavy bass in the small venue was also a nice, and much needed touch. Her four new songs off her new EP 

were particularly remarkable, showing how she has learned how to write songs from playing live shows. Beginning with the title track off the EP, Amber’s melancholy vocals were smooth and warm. Despite the simplicity of the track in comparison to others, “Swim Against the Tide” was a highlight of the night.

Before playing the other three songs from the EP, Amber played a few tracks off her previous two EPs 

. “Letter By The Water” was especially touching and heavy with its depressing tone as Amber sang about wanting to drown. Her vocals sounded especially larger than life during this performance and were worthy of making your heart skip a beat or two. Joking about moving onto something less dark, Amber moved onto “Cool Blue”. Amber’s guitar skills and ingenuity shone through here especially, with many moments for her to focus on her playing rather than singing. The songs’ lighter toned complemented the previous song very well, making sure the night didn’t become too dark. The next song, “Sister”, was moving while Amber emotionally sung about a refusal to let someone in, a recurring theme in her lyrics because the song right after, “Good Side In”, had the same message.

“Good Side In” was one of the more pop-sounding tracks of the night, and was able to maintain a balance between bright and dark through the contrast of its lyrics and sound. In my interview with her, Amber mentioned how this song is her favorite to play live because of its complexity. Smiling during the harder guitar parts, Amber killed it and had fun doing it evidently. “Face Like Thunder” was next, and it was the most energetic song of the night. Choosing to include it on the EP because of how good it would sound live, Amber clearly made a right choice. With a pop chorus and light tone throughout, it energized a crowd suffering from all the body heat.

Once again, this time with in the context of her song “Leon”, Amber truly showed her vocal capabilities with high and long notes throughout. If anyone had any question about her ability as a vocalist, Amber put any doubts to rest with “Leon”. Despite being about a high school break-up, her performance was touching and emotional. After “Leon” was her final song, “Still”, which brought some technical difficulties while the backing track lost its pace with Amber. Laughing through the issues, Amber closed the concert perfectly.

Through her various smiles at different audience members through the night, a perfect choice for an opening band, her ability to bring her studio sound to the stage, and her talent, Amber Bain was able to remind everyone in the venue, especially myself, why she is a rising artist to be recognized. And she did all of it while incredibly jetlagged.

The Japanese House @ Great Scott

On November 5th, The 1975 stopped by Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, offering a stunning performance and demonstrating how much they have honed their live show through a combination of their theatrics and pure talent. Opening with a possibly perfect show introduction, The 1975 played their self-titled song, smoothly easing into “Love Me” and “UGH!”. The set list was curated to a T, and it was obvious how much thought there was to each song’s placement during the night. The band played favorites like “Girls”, “Chocolate”, and “Loving Someone,” but they also included their almost entirely instrumental tracks, “I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It”, “Lostmyhead”, and “Please Be Naked”. It can be hard to make an instrumental work well live, but The 1975 were able to execute that feat three times during the course of the night thanks to their stage presence and perfectly chosen background animations. Singer Matty Healy did not remain still throughout the performance of those songs; he was either nodding his head along passionately or, during the climax of “Lostmyhead,” balancing himself on a piano. The rest of the band followed suit, but in a much calmer, less erratic manner that is characteristic of them.

Matty spent some of the night drinking red wine and occasionally smoking a cigarette while offering the crowd his dance moves, which were not to be taken seriously. Despite his relaxed demeanor, Matty devoted some time during the set to speak sincerely about the U.S. election and his annoyance with Brexit. He encouraged fans to vote, while passionately explaining how you cannot be complacent. Prior to this little speech, he told the crowd this was not going to be about hatred for Donald Trump, but ended his speech by calling Trump an expletive, receiving cheers from the audience in agreement.

The night did not keep this serious tone, soon after Matty made note of a sign held by a girl at barrier, which led to his dedication of the song “Paris” to Harambe. No, I am not kidding, and for what it is worth, it was a very beautiful and touching performance for Harambe. Soon after “Paris” was “Sex,” which is where The 1975’s show really reached its peak with the most insane amount of lights and excitement from the crowd. Their live show is definitely not a performance for the faint of heart or those who are prone to seizures – I may have been blind for about five seconds after with a slight headache, but it was stunning and euphoric regardless.

Leaving the stage after “Sex”, the band returned for the encore, which included “Medicine”, “If I Believe You”, “Chocolate”, and “The Sound”. The band kept the encore calm and soothing for a while, with the romantic tone of “Medicine” and the introspective desperation of “If I Believe You,” but the band picked things up once again during their final song “The Sound,” and the audience did the exact same with thousands jumping together. The 1975 were able to use their performance at Mohegan Sun as a reminder to everyone in attendance why they deserve all the success they have had thus far. If you have yet to see their live show, you should be sure to check the band out as soon as possible, hopefully when they do a third tour of North America in support of their most recent album release.

The 1975 @ Mohegan Sun Arena

Amber Bain talks about where she might take photos next, her third favorite flower, and her new EP.

While standing in a puddle of bathroom sink water at Great Scott in Allston, I got the chance to interview Amber Bain, mostly known as The Japanese House right before the start of her first US headlining tour.

I bet. How did the UK and Euro tour go for you?

This is your first US headlining tour, so are you nervous or are you excited?

How does it feel playing so many sold out shows? I mean, tonight is sold out, and so are your next two shows in New York.

Yeah! It’s pretty cool. I played a show not too far from where I actually live, so it’s nice to play there. People in the U.S. dig it, and Camden, obviously.

How does it feel being in the US considering everything that’s going on?

I haven’t felt any impacts of the Donald Trump presidency yet, but I’m sure things will seep in. Just the same as I don’t really feel anything from Brexit… But it sucks.

So you previously stated how you planned to release two more EPs before releasing a full length, so now with the release of 

, do you have a timeline in mind for the full length?

Going into making this EP, were you at all stressed because you had all these new fans who were anxiously waiting for new music, or were you just chill about it and wanted to make whatever?

Just kind of the same as usual. I don’t really think about that. I just think about finishing stuff, because that’s what I’m really bad at doing: finishing songs. So I guess the stress kind of came from having to do stuff till the end and not procrastinate. But yeah, I don’t really think about that whole fan thing.

In the past, you had mentioned how you didn’t want all of your success to come from The 1975 and your association with them. Going into 2017, do you feel like you’ve achieved this, or do you feel like it hasn’t turned out how you wanted it to?

I don’t know. I don’t think anyone ever really goes ‘Oh. Done it. Yep.’ I don’t know. Obviously, I have, in a certain way, goals in terms of where I want to be, but actually I’d rather just not focus on that at all. I don’t think it’s healthy to as an artist, because that’s not for you to really think about. Obviously, it’s good to have goals and want to do well. I think as soon as you reach that goal, you’ll have a different goal, so I kind of don’t really think about that.

 involve as much input from George and Matty [of The 1975] as 

Matty isn’t… It’s just me and George. But yeah, it’s just the same as usual. I’ll basically produce the tracks to a certain point, and finish them in the studio with George on the mixer.

Have you learned anything from recording the previous two EPs?

Yeah, definitely. I think you’re always improving. Definitely just got better at producing. There’s only so much time with the band, and I’ve just been doing it on my laptop.

With the song “Pools to Bathe in”, every time I’ve listened to it, I’ve always wondered why did you put the dog barking in it?

Yeah, it’s someone screaming. I just thought it was funny. I don’t know. The same reason I put anything else in there.

Did you do it just because you could do it?

Uhm, it’s the same reason I put any sound in it, because I thought it sounded good. I think it does. I think it sounds cool.

It wasn’t like ‘Oh, let’s put a dog barking’, because it’ll sound good. That’s just in there.

How does it feel seeing fans react to the new EP?

Yeah! Pretty good. People are singing along at shows and stuff, which is really good.

Do you have a new favorite song to perform, or is it still ‘Still’?

Uhm, I like playing… Oh, I don’t know. I like playing ‘Good Side In’, because it’s really hard.

Before you were The Japanese House, you were known as CUBS and Léon, right? And ‘Leon’ [off Swim Against the Tide] was actually a song you wrote before The Japanese House, right?

Do you have other songs from when you were known as CUBS and Léon that you plan to re-release?

Maybe. I don’t know. I wrote ‘Leon’ just before ‘Still’. And then… I don’t know. I’m not sure. I mean, I don’t really count CUBS and Léon as really a thing, because I was kind of like 16 and doing my G16, so I don’t really feel like that was an actual thing. To me, they’re just old band names. I’m not sure. Maybe.

I don’t mean to pry at all, but with songs like ‘Good Side In’ and ‘Teeth’, how does it feel playing those songs now given where you are in life compared to where you were then?

I don’t know. I thought ‘Good Side In’ and ‘Teeth’ were about the same person.

Yeah… I don’t know, because I wrote those songs so long ago that by the time I finished them, my feelings had already changed. I don’t know, they just feel the same as all of my other songs do.

I know that ‘Leon’ was inspired by [the movie] Leon: The Professional, so what inspired you about that movie to write a song semi-inspired by it?

I think because I just really love that film. I don’t really write songs about anyone else, so I kind of just decided to write a song about Matilda when she had got older and he had died. But it kind of turned into about me, because I’m just actually using it as a metaphor for myself, 

Yeah, I heard it was about a high-school break-up.

That’s amusing. So, you take all of these photos for your EPs. Do you have any places you want to go to in mind for your next EP and the full length?

Cause… I really want to go there. *laughs* Also, I just think, you can get some… There’s this specific bus stop in Russia, can’t remember where it is, but I really want to take a photo of it. And Croatia cause… I just thought of that. I probably don’t… Or maybe I do. I’d love to go to Croatia, but I don’t know. Where else could I go… I don’t know. I just decide when I have to do it, and that makes it more natural. And also, after the EPs are completely finished, then I kind of decide how I want people to interpret it.

Do you have a methodology for picking which pictures you want to use? Or do you just pick whatever suits you at the time?

I usually just pick the best ones. And, *chuckles*, also some certain songs just 

like certain photos. When I’m going through them, I go ‘Oh! That looks like ____, so that would fit.’ I don’t know why a certain image fits with a certain song. It’s really weird. They just do. I guess it’s the same reason why certain songs soundtrack certain movies. That kind of thing.

That makes sense. So the music video for ‘Face Like Thunder’ was a lot higher production than your previous videos, so how did it feel doing a higher production video in a place you have yet to reveal?

Yeah, I’m never going to tell *laughs*. Yeah, it was really cool. It was kind of nerve-wracking, because I’m not really good in front of cameras. But also amazing, because I go to see that side of things. And also, it was really cool the place we were at. It was just tiring, but also really amazing at the same time. I saw two of the best sunrises and sunsets that I’ve ever seen in my life.

So have you just been tired these past few months with the release of a new EP and being on tour?

I’m not this tired all the time. I’m just jetlagged, because we got in yesterday.

Was just really bumpy at the end. The actual flight was fine; it was just the landing. But now we’re on the ground, and I don’t want to think about flying for awhile.

Are you just bussing around for these US shows?

Yeah, we’re driving… *tour manager is shaking her head*. We’re driving on the east coast, and then flying to the west coast. Doing both coasts basically and then flying. I don’t know. Right? *at tour manager*. I don’t know what I’m saying.

Lastly, my girlfriend wanted me to ask you: What is your third favorite flower?

*Thinks for awhile* I’m trying to think of my first and my second….

You can totally say your first, and I can just say you said it was your third.

I don’t know. I’m not that big in the flower game. A bird of paradise? *laughs*

*laughs* Okay, awesome. Thanks for answering my questions. I appreciate you.

Thanks to Amber for answering my questions, despite being completely dead from travel. You were a gem despite all of it.

Q&A with The Japanese House

The Japanese House
Swim Against the Tide – EP

Dirty Hit Limited · November 11th, 2016

Amber Bain’s The Japanese House does not receive nearly enough attention, but her third EP, 

, continues to establish Amber as an artist who deserves a long stay in the indie music scene and the success she rightfully deserves. However, a full length from her would be quite nice too.

Amber released the EP, consisting of four songs, on November 11th, and it has been excitedly anticipated by her recent influx of fans. The EP’s four songs show Amber’s evolution as an artist while still remaining true to her sound that was so strongly set in her previous EPs 

. Her success lies in her ability to make music that is not only calm and astonishing, but also unique and her own. Amber fits into the category of artists who are able to create aesthetically pleasing music, and it is so clearly evident in her sound and lyrics. 

is better rounded musically than her two previous EPs with not only a strong focus on her vocals, but also the music itself.

The title track introduces fans to music with more layers than previously used. Previously, Amber used simple backing music to complement her transcendent vocals, while in this EP there is so much more going on than basic complementation. While Amber’s vocals are interesting and masterfully layered and filtered, the music has become a stronger characteristic of her songs. “Swim Against the Tide” features a lighter tone than any of her other songs that also holds a sort of introspective melancholy, with Amber singing of the departure of love through beautiful imagery and a hopeful chorus. The song is much slower than the next track, “Face Like Thunder”, which has a substantial presence of Amber’s signature vocal layering. The chorus is strong, but the bridge, the true highlight of the track, is even stronger with Amber singing about how she can be so cruel. The sound of this song perfectly finds its place among her vocals, lowering when the lyrics call for it and rising during the chorus to match Amber’s pace.

Next on the track list is “Good Side In”, which is one of the simpler songs off the EP, but it still holds its value. The song offers the album some diversity, keeping numerous listens from boring you. Amber’s vocals have less presence in this track than the others, but this purposeful choice helps keep the vibe of the song from becoming too overwhelming. Amber has a great talent in finding the perfect balance for her songs, and “Good Side In” truly showcases this talent. “Leon,” inspired by the movie 

, closes the EP. Amber’s vocals truly shine in this ending track, and the song as a whole feels very moving and powerful. Amber slows herself down here, allowing for a much more somber sound. It features the smoothest vocals of the album, soaking the listener in a sort of tranquility.

, Amber shows her continuous development and her growing strength as a musician through a stronger musical and vocal presence. You can truly see Amber fully finding her place as an artist, and it is a beautiful thing to witness. Every song stands on its own for its own reasons while remaining different than the track before or after it. The EP is more developed than her previous works, and it is wholly evident throughout.

The Japanese House Release “Swim Against the Tide” EP

On their new tour supporting their recently released album 

Opeth played House of Blues Boston on October 2, with The Sword as their openers.

For about 45 minutes of the show, The Sword opened the audience to their seductive sound that seems completely inspired by the ’70s. This ’70s vibe translated to their on-stage presence, which was lacking unfortunately. However, considering their status as a stoner metal band and their position as an opener, this isn’t surprising. Despite the little presence from the band, they were still entertaining and sounded better than they do on studio albums.

About 20 minutes after The Sword finished their set, Opeth opened their set with the groove heavy, title-track off their new album. An impressive feat of this show was Opeth’s ability to fill the 

venue with their sound and presence, which is essentially if Led Zeppelin decide to play prog metal. Each song on the set transitioned beautifully between melodic and heavy, which is something Opeth are masters of. In between songs, the singer, Mikael, would interact with the crowd, which included light-hearted jokes. At one point, Mikael spoke of his daughter’s love of Justin Bieber and One Direction, and how he tried to like the two for the sake of his daughter, but eventually realized this was impossible for him. Mikael has greatly adopted the status of a strong front man, and he plays it well. The night was a great harmony of heavy, fast, melodic, and slow. Opeth is unmatched in this category, which is why they are so respected in the genre, and this show confirmed why.

Opeth and The Sword @ House of Blues

, was released September 16th, and it is definitely an album that can be listened to over and over again (which I totally have been doing). The album makes you question what decade the album was really released in, with both its 90s and modern vibe.

Despite all of the songs having a pretty simple and similar structure, Christo’s vocals and lyrics are able to make each song different. Bad Suns has a real knack for making some insanely catchy choruses, which allows for each song to be able to stand on its own. The lyrics are introspective in a way that’s both hopeful and depressing in a sort of charming way. And Christo’s vocal range makes each song versatile, so the album doesn’t overstay its welcome too easily. Songs like “You Wear Your Love Like Revenge”, “Maybe We’re Meant to be Alone”, and “Outskirts of Paradise”, are worth putting on an endless loop. Each chorus and bridge is likely to stick with you for days.

This album has been an album the band has always dreamed of making, which puts a lot of pressure on its quality. Thankfully, it’s absolutely beautiful, and I can see why it has been their dream to make it. The album is worth at least a listen and then more. The band will be here in Boston on November 3rd playing a show Brighton Music Hall.

Jillian Fliedner