key vs. Locket - Turn Sour (2026)
With Turn Sour, key vs. locket returns with a second album, following 2025's i felt like a sketch. The project embraces the rougher traditions of Midwest emo and screamo, drawing inspiration from artists such as Make Me, I Have Dreams, Empire! Empire! and Boy Problems. Across thirteen compositions, the music explores emotional exhaustion, disappointment, damaged relationships and the difficulty of moving beyond memories that continue to influence the present.
It's an interesting approach, particularly because the artist clearly values sincerity and spontaneity over polished production. However, I find the results rather disappointing. The lyrics occasionally contain striking images and convincing emotional observations, but the songwriting is frequently unfocused, while the short structures and repetitive themes make several compositions difficult to distinguish.
What interests me most is the contrast between the album's intimate, homemade character and its frequently exaggerated emotional expression. The combination of guitars, bass, programmed drums and raw vocals creates an aesthetic associated with independent emo recordings, where technical imperfections can become part of the artistic identity.
I appreciate this approach when the musical ideas are strong enough to justify the roughness. Unfortunately, I often feel that Turn Sour depends too heavily on its unpolished presentation, without developing sufficiently memorable melodies or instrumental arrangements.
"Postcards and Stories" opens the record with a dense succession of lyrical images, exploring inherited narratives, broken promises and the gradual collapse of familiar certainties.
I appreciate some of the imagery, particularly the relationship between ordinary objects and more abstract feelings of disappointment. There is a potentially interesting emotional perspective beneath the fragmented writing.
However, the lyrics contain too many competing ideas. Images appear and disappear without always contributing to a coherent narrative, making the composition difficult to follow. I would have appreciated a more focused introduction, with fewer metaphors and stronger musical development.
"City of Ants" is considerably shorter, contributing to the album's fragmented structure. Its brevity gives the record some immediacy, but also limits the possibility of developing substantial musical ideas.
This is one of my recurring reservations about the project. Several tracks seem more concerned with establishing an emotional impression than constructing a complete composition. That can be effective occasionally, but it becomes less rewarding when repeated across an entire album.
"No More Holidays" continues with another expression of disappointment and emotional exhaustion.
I appreciate the directness of the title, which suggests the loss of ordinary pleasures and the difficulty of finding reassurance in familiar experiences.
However, the musical identity remains difficult to distinguish from the surrounding compositions. The album's established combination of emotional intensity and rough production is coherent, but relatively few individual songs introduce memorable ideas.
The title track, "Turn Sour", is one of the more interesting compositions lyrically.
Its exploration of disappointment gradually becoming bitterness offers a worthwhile psychological perspective. I particularly appreciate the suggestion that attempts to protect oneself can eventually become another source of emotional confinement.
The distinction between becoming stronger and becoming closed off is compelling, and the lyrics occasionally express that contradiction effectively.
Nevertheless, the writing remains unnecessarily dense. The accumulation of metaphors makes the central message less immediate, and I would have preferred a clearer progression between the different ideas.
It's a promising composition, but not one that entirely fulfils its potential.
"Enduro" explores chance, missed opportunities and the relationship between personal choices and circumstances beyond one's control.
I appreciate the use of ordinary images to communicate frustration, particularly because they can make abstract emotional ideas more concrete.
However, the song's relatively brief duration prevents these observations from developing into a substantial narrative. The composition introduces interesting possibilities without exploring them particularly far.
"Roach" and "Graffiti World" continue the album's exploration of personal frustration and emotional uncertainty.
Their titles suggest an interest in images of survival, deterioration and urban environments, giving the record a recognisable thematic character.
However, the compositions don't establish sufficiently distinct identities within the broader sequence. I frequently feel that the project is more interested in maintaining a particular emotional atmosphere than constructing individually memorable songs.
This makes the middle section rather repetitive, even though the album itself isn't especially long.
"Losing Sleep" is my favourite track on the album.
What distinguishes it is the comparatively coherent relationship between its imagery and emotional subject. The song explores insomnia, recurring dreams and the inability to escape memories of a relationship.
I particularly appreciate the recurring references to storms, sleepless nights and power lines. These images create a more distinctive atmosphere than the overcrowded metaphors dominating several of the other compositions.
The central contradiction is also convincing. The narrator wants to escape the past, but remaining awake becomes a way of avoiding dreams rather than confronting the underlying memories.
That psychological observation gives the song a clearer sense of purpose. Rather than simply expressing disappointment, it explores the mechanisms through which emotional distress can perpetuate itself.
The writing remains somewhat repetitive, and I would have appreciated a stronger melodic progression. Nevertheless, the relatively focused imagery makes "Losing Sleep" the most satisfying composition.
"Fica Aqui" introduces Portuguese into the album's sequence, offering a reminder of the project's Brazilian background.
I appreciate this aspect of its identity, particularly because contemporary Midwest emo often draws heavily on American musical conventions.
The use of Portuguese suggests the possibility of a more personal approach, one that could differentiate the project from its influences.
However, linguistic variation alone doesn't necessarily create stronger songwriting. I would have appreciated more substantial contrasts in musical structure and instrumental arrangement.
"December Wind" continues the introspective atmosphere, with a title suggesting seasonal melancholy and the persistence of difficult memories.
I appreciate this kind of emotional landscape when the music establishes a convincing sense of progression. However, by this point the album's recurring concerns with disappointment and emotional exhaustion have become somewhat predictable.
The composition contributes to the overall mood without introducing enough new perspective to distinguish itself.
"Cobertor Vivo" provides another Portuguese-titled piece, reinforcing the project's connection with its origins.
This is a potentially appealing direction, particularly because the integration of different languages and cultural references could give the songwriting a stronger personality.
Nevertheless, the album's general approach remains relatively uniform. The short compositions and intimate presentation create coherence, but not necessarily variety.
"Thorns" is another of the album's more convincing lyrical moments.
The song explores indecision, unfinished communication and the uncomfortable experience of repeatedly returning to the same emotional position.
I particularly appreciate the images of incomplete journals, packed bags and words gradually losing their meaning through repetition.
These details communicate emotional paralysis more effectively than the more abstract and exaggerated passages elsewhere on the record.
However, the writing is still rather fragmented. Some images are effective individually, but the transitions between them can be difficult to follow.
The composition demonstrates that the artist has an interesting lyrical imagination, although greater selectivity would probably make the writing considerably stronger.
The closing "Nails" explores distrust and the lasting consequences of damaged relationships.
I appreciate the refusal to provide an artificially optimistic conclusion. The album has consistently examined bitterness and emotional exhaustion, so an unresolved ending is appropriate.
However, I don't find the composition particularly distinctive. The lyrical concerns are familiar, and the musical structure doesn't seem to offer a sufficiently substantial final development.
As a result, the album concludes without providing the sense of progression or emotional resolution that might have made the listening experience more satisfying.
My main reservation concerns the lack of focus in the songwriting. The artist frequently introduces interesting ideas, but too many compositions contain dense imagery, abrupt emotional shifts and limited development.
I appreciate abstract lyrics when they create ambiguity or suggest different interpretations. Here, however, the constant accumulation of metaphors occasionally obscures the underlying emotion rather than enriching it.
The musical approach is another limitation. The homemade aesthetic and influences from traditional Midwest emo are appealing in principle, but relatively little seems to distinguish the compositions beyond their emotional presentation.
I would have appreciated more memorable guitar themes, clearer rhythmic contrasts and stronger structural development.
The use of programmed drums is also a potential weakness within this kind of music. Emo frequently depends on the interaction between guitars and a responsive rhythm section, particularly when compositions move between restraint and sudden intensity.
Programmed percussion can be effective, but the arrangements need sufficient variation to compensate for the reduced sense of spontaneous performance.
The fragmented structure further reduces the album's impact. Several compositions are extremely brief, while others introduce numerous lyrical ideas without allowing them enough space to develop.
I would have preferred a more selective record, concentrating on the songs with the strongest emotional perspectives and giving them greater instrumental depth.
The emotional range is similarly narrow. Disappointment, bitterness, anxiety and troubled relationships dominate the record, creating a coherent atmosphere but relatively little contrast.
I appreciate melancholic music, particularly when it explores vulnerability with subtlety. However, repeated declarations of frustration become less effective without moments of reflection, restraint or unexpected emotional development.
The album's influences are another mixed aspect. I appreciate the connection with underground emo traditions, particularly artists who favour raw performances and unconventional structures.
Nevertheless, the project occasionally feels too closely attached to the aesthetics of those earlier recordings. I would have welcomed a stronger individual musical direction rather than another interpretation of familiar genre conventions.
There are still some appealing qualities. The sincerity of the writing is evident, and the artist occasionally finds effective ways to communicate difficult emotional states through ordinary images.
"Losing Sleep" is the clearest example, particularly because its recurring imagery creates a coherent atmosphere. "Turn Sour" and "Thorns" also contain worthwhile psychological observations, even if their writing could be more focused.
I appreciate the project's independent character and refusal to pursue conventional commercial production. There is personality here, and the music occasionally suggests the possibility of a more distinctive artistic identity.
However, independence and emotional sincerity aren't enough to make an album consistently rewarding. I need stronger melodies, more substantial arrangements and a clearer sense of progression between individual compositions.
Ultimately, Turn Sour is a decent but relatively disappointing experimental emo record. Its homemade atmosphere, unusual lyrics and occasional moments of vulnerability are appealing, but the songwriting frequently feels underdeveloped.
I particularly appreciate "Losing Sleep", "Turn Sour" and "Thorns", where the artist's emotional perspective is more clearly expressed.
However, the excessive lyrical density, repetitive themes and limited musical variety make the complete album less engaging than its influences or initial ambitions might suggest.
There is potential here, particularly in the combination of intimate songwriting and personal imagery, but I would have appreciated a more focused approach with stronger instrumental and melodic development.
62/100
Playing time: approximately 00:36:12
❤️ Favourite track: "Losing Sleep"
+ Occasional effective lyrical imagery, particularly on "Losing Sleep", "Turn Sour" and "Thorns"
+ Sincere, independent aesthetic with a recognisable connection to underground Midwest emo and screamo
+ Interesting psychological themes exploring insomnia, bitterness and emotional paralysis
– Overcrowded and frequently unfocused lyrics that obscure potentially interesting emotional ideas
– Underdeveloped song structures and insufficient memorable melodies or instrumental arrangements
– Repetitive emotional themes and a relatively uniform musical approach that make individual tracks difficult to distinguish
Genre: Midwest Emo
Country: Brazil/US
Final Verdict: 62% (Good Album)
Yearly Ranking: 587th / 807
Highlight: Losing Sleep
Made me think of:
Algernon Cadwallader
Weatherday
Parannoul
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