Each week, a Globe-pal (AKA a DJ at 91.1 the Globe) takes a song of their choosing, and dishes out a healthy review to be sent out and posted on globeradio.org/music.
The Globe Track of the Week is an excellent way to keep up with the new tunes presented weekly on 91.1 the Globe, the best college radio station in Indiana.
‘Turn It Off’ by Bailey Williams is an anomaly. Although the title suggests that the viewer should just simply “turn it off”, the track is such a delightful ear-worm that I have yet to do so during any of my many listens.
Williams, a local Michiana-based artist, has released three albums since 2015. Her most recent EP, which hit streaming in January entitled ‘Flare’ is fully immersed in the “Shoegaze” or “dream-pop” sub-genre of indie-rock.
But her December 2021 release, ‘Flowers and Animals’, is decidedly a different animal.
Williams bounces around genres throughout the hour-long 15-track album, and even tackles The Cure with a hauntingly beautiful rendition of ‘Lovesong’.
But one of the biggest standout tracks is ‘Turn it Off’, which kicks off with a chugging guitar riff that blends-in with William’s somber opening-line; “I shut…my mouth…You don’t seem to hear what comes out.”
The entirety of the song feels like a constant escalation. Even once the song breaks out into the toned-down chorus of “Turn it off..turn it back on that ought to fix it right…” the song continues to feel as if it’s rising in presence as it goes along.
What makes the song all come-together is its turn-around. The first time it hits, the chorus cuts from its normal finish to some subbed-in words that hit the mark well; “that ought to put back whatever wire came undone.”
The direct comparison of a challenging relationship to the complexity of getting one’s wires crossed simply works, and her soft-touch vocals pull the verses and the chorus together into a nice, neat, two-and-a-half minute single that deserves a spot on any and all indie charts.
Trust me, once you hear it, you won’t turn it off.
– Dante Stanton
