peripheral vision
turnover
10/10
published on 2025/12/13
what is the purpose of art? that is ultimately the question that i am confronted with when trying to review peripheral vision. i have struggled a lot to try to write a coherent piece about this album that i love dearly. part of the problem is that i keep trying to shove it into a framework of some kind. i tried to fit each song into the progression of a relationship; i started with “humming” being the best part of a relationship, flowing into “cutting my fingers off” as the initial breakup, “take my head” and “i would hate you if i could” representing the feelings of anger right before “intrapersonal”, representing the freedom that comes with self-confidence and understanding of the relationship. but that left too much unanswered.
i then tried to think of the album as a movement through the 5 stages of grief from a love lost; it works for a good portion of the tracks, but again, too much was left on the cutting room floor with that explanation. eventually, i was listening to this record for the 50th time over the course of a few years and just thought “is this only about drugs and i have blown everything out of proportion?”.
in silence, i reflected, and i came back to what i believe is the primary purpose of art:
to make you feel something.
it’s not about having a grandiose metaphor or a perfectly planned story – it’s about how you felt when you encountered the art. i think that without further explanation, that immediately illuminates the reason that so many people deeply resonate with this record. we all felt something profound while listening to peripheral vision.
at least for myself, i can say that this record resonated with me because i came across it exactly when i needed it. the opening track “cutting my fingers off” perfectly encapsulated the grief, the sorrow, and the pain that i was experiencing while going through a breakup. from there i was hooked on this album. i rank it as not only one of my favorite, but one of the most important albums i’ve been lucky enough to find in this lifetime.
while i have now accepted that i’m not going to write a review that is able to slam this amorphous collection of songs into a neat and tidy framework, there is still so much to say about the parts that constitute the whole of this record. there are solid thematic elements found within these 11 tracks: isolation, addiction, euphoria, and of course, love. and all of it speaks to the comical yet profound line from “new scream” which asks “what if i don’t want a pattern on my lawn?”.
peripheral vision is about the singularity of the human experience and what it means to be an individual. what if i don’t want to be confined to the status-bound trappings which seem to be inherent with “adult life”?
what if i want to carve a new moral path for myself that differs from the path that everyone else is on? what if i want love and experience life in an “abnormal” way? these questions are layered throughout peripheral vision alongside stories of sadness and elation, heartbreak and love, and the high and the comedown.
the aforementioned “cutting my fingers off” is a perfect first song for this record, setting the tone lyrically and musically. the sonic shift from the previous album magnolia is dramatic, and the slow lead in that starts with an ambient guitar that flows into an arpeggiated chord works perfectly to introduce the new turnover sound.
the opening track also introduces, what is in large part, the primary feeling of the album: the heartbreak that comes from the end of a relationship. i think that given the heavy amount of drug references throughout the record, a romantic relationship could be an allegory for getting sober, and this would be an amazing way to express the emotions that these two experiences share. but ultimately, the reason this record is so emotionally hard-hitting is because of the full spectrum of emotions that are on display, no matter what you map the emotions onto.
the run from “hello euphoria” through “like slow disappearing” iterate and progressively expound on the themes of isolation, bargaining, love, and acceptance, while continuing to tie in getting high or coming down as symbolic elements for the emotional rollercoaster that comes with processing the post-breakup emotions.
“hello euphoria” showcases the same emotional palette as “cutting my fingers off”, describing the isolation that creeps in during a euphoric moment. one of the most poignant lyrical moments appears here, using the “i’m just so far away” refrain to express the isolation that could be immediately be undone when “you call my name / and it pulls me in”.
“dizzy on the comedown” reads like the internal bargaining of trying to fix what is broken in the relationship even if you can’t, while you’re still “in it”. “dizzy” paints the picture of an unpredictable situation with a mercurial partner which demands trying to guess what will happen while you’re away. subtly, it feels like trying to ride out what is left of the good in the relationship. “diazepam” contrasts this and focuses on the external bargaining that was done in the relationship with a greater sense of “after the fact” in tone.
“like slow disappearing” is more reminiscent than sorrowful, with beautiful psychedelic descriptions of the lasting impact that a emotional connection can have long term. “i felt you buried deep under my chest / like my lungs when I’m breathing in” is the clearest example of this emotive description.
on the last leg of peripheral vision, there is momentary anger expressed in “take my head”. with a instrumental styling closer to magnolia, “take my head” continues with themes of isolation and self-abuse, but there is far more “lashing out” energy contained in this unique standalone track.
the record feels like it comes to an emotional resolve with “i would hate you if i could” and “intrapersonal”. the lyrics portray acceptance and understanding and ultimately peace. this type of peace contrasts the euphoric “peace” described in “humming”. “humming” is escapism in from the pain of the moment, but “intrapersonal” is the sober acceptance of reality and feels like the closing of that chapter. “intrapersonal” is truly resolving for the record and feels expertly crafted to wrap up the emotional narrative.
after continuously listening to peripheral vision, i can’t help but feel so moved by the fact that turnover captured a moment in life so perfectly. it truly feels like a sort of “coming of age” piece. but in this case, it’s not the move from childhood into adolescence. for me, peripheral vision represents the gateway from a highly emotional and unstable early adulthood into the rest of what life will be. it represents the question of “who do i want to be? will i decide what i become? or will i follow the beaten path?”. this applies to the primary topic of love and relationships, but it also applies to one’s core principles. peripheral vision is the first step in the direction of what is yet to come, from heartbreak into healing, saying “goodbye sorrow”, and “hello euphoria”.