SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SUZI MOON – TURBULENT HEARTS: ALL OUT

SUZI MOON
TURBULENT HEARTS: ALL OUT
PIRATES PRESS RECORDS

Before she was the Suzi Moon, she was Suzi Moon, singer and guitarist of the punk power trio, Turbulent Hearts. Formed in 2010, the band had originally released three EPs – Panic (2017), The Rage, and Crazy Girl – along with a handful of singles, all of which have been compiled as a double album, Turbulent Hearts: All Out. The remastered, double-LP compilation collects all of Turbulent Hearts’ material for the very first time. The retrospective album is also available as a limited, coloured vinyl pressing with the first record on milky clear vinyl with black smoke and the second record on blood red with black smoke via Pirate Press Records.

Turbulent Hearts: All Out opens with the collection of EPs, in order of their release, before ending with a series of five singles. From the opening power chords of “Panic”, Turbulent Hearts establish themselves as a thrashing punk outfit reminiscent of the LA underground scene of the ‘70s and ‘80s. The first five tracks of Turbulent Hearts: All Out capture a band rough around the edges, just as you’d hope for. This is best heard on the stomping “Redwood Nights”, a bluesy, bellowing track that closes out the original EP. The following five songs, making up The Rage, demonstrate more breadth in the band’s songwriting with a looser performance, particularly in the acoustic “The Rage” and the blistering “Off Of You”, even if this record sounds as though it was recorded live off the floor in a garage.

It is the second half of Turbulent Hearts: All Out where the band’s original work starts to truly shine. Side three, featuring the five tracks from Crazy Girl, sees Moon and Turbulent Hearts as they find their sound as a distinctive punk band. This is where the band has leveled up not only their songwriting, but also their performance and production. From the wailing guitars and Moon’s outstanding vocal performance on “Crazy Girl” to the explosive closer, “Excuses”, side three features the best material to emerge from Turbulent Hearts. That being said, the following tracks, such as “I Don’t Do It For U” and “Walking Away” are also worthy contenders.

Through a chronological approach, Turbulent Hearts: All Out is a true retrospective that documents the band’s musical output in its entirety. In addition to the great music, through this curation, we can see artistic vision as the band evolves with each release. Most importantly, however, the compilation delivers a collection of music that was seemingly lost to time and only digitally available via Bandcamp, making for a special, must have collection for OG fans of the band and Moon alike. While we await a follow up to Moon’s 2022 Dumb & In Luv, Turbulent Hearts: All Out is a strong reminder of her grimy, underground roots.

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