Good Terms’ track-by-track guide to Turning Point

With their debut album officially out there, we caught up with Good Terms to take us behind the lyrics of each song of the record.

Welcome to the Turning Point track-by-track.

All I Can:

There are few things more difficult than accepting that your dreams, and the reality of achieving them, will directly conflict with the ease and success of your relationship. ‘All I Can’ is a plea for patience, a promise for the future, and the belief that there can be more to a long distance relationship than just asking your partner to wait for you.

Hamster Wheel:

‘Hamster Wheel’ is our reminder to make the most of the time in front of you and to stop dwelling on past mistakes. If playing it smart & safe is making you feel like a waste, don’t be afraid to make a change. You don’t have to spend your life going through the motions, it’s not too late. 

Light At The End:

When faced with periods of declining self worth, financial hardship, and disillusion with adulthood, happiness can feel like a destination that is impossible to reach. Especially during the pandemic, the path that we once hoped could take us there has become increasingly difficult to visualize. In ‘Light At The End,’ we remind ourselves that when life continues to offer nothing but defeat and despair from every direction, we must believe, even blindly, that things can get better.

Wither Away:

‘Wither Away’ is the first song that was written for Good Terms, and also the first song we released at the beginning of the album’s rollout. It was born out of the desperation we felt from wasting our early twenties living lifestyles that routinely depleted our creativity and inspiration. We were tired of following a monotonous and predetermined way of living and ached to feel passionate about our lives again. After a rough day that felt like the last straw, the first words of ‘Wither Away’ effortlessly spilled out, and thus began Good Terms.

Sand Castle:

We don’t usually begin something with the end in mind. People we love may leave our lives for reasons out of our control, and we have to reckon with the emotions no matter what. When beautiful things are coming to an end, ‘Sand Castle’ asks if we should hold on until the end, or learn to let go. In the crashing wave of time, there is no wrong answer, but also no escape.  

Chess:

Born of post-breakup ramblings frantically typed into the Notes app, ‘Chess’ aggressively asks, “Am I enough?” This question, especially in the wake of forgiving infidelity, is a frustrating one. If you listen close enough to the intro, you’ll hear the whole band reciting quotes that inspired “Chess”, let’s see if you know your Vonnegut.

Pedestal:

Fandom is a strange thing. Deep down we all know that the artists we love need to be free to create what is most honest to them, but it’s difficult when that art doesn’t meet our expectations. ‘Pedestal’ is about our frustration from being let down by our heroes and our anger toward ourselves for letting our disappointment affect us so viscerally. It’s disheartening watching those we admire create something not only bad, but untrue for all the wrong reasons.

More Than I Deserve:

‘More Than I Deserve’ is about asking your partner to fight for your relationship when your fear of commitment eventually drives them away. Even when you know that you’re in the right relationship from both an emotional and logical standpoint, an unspoken pressure to take the next steps together often adds a lot of stress to something that should otherwise be solely a source of happiness.

Useless Things:

‘Useless Things’ is about the inner turmoil experienced when you know you need to end a relationship, but don’t feel like you have the strength to do it. We’re all the hero of our own story, which makes it so much worse when we have to be the villain in someone else’s. When you start to fall apart just to keep a relationship together, sometimes you have to cut your losses and trust that everyone will be better off for it in time

Wasted My Age:

Fear has a tendency to dominate our decision making, especially when we’re not aware how afraid we really are. ‘Wasted My Age’ is about finally realising that your life is moving in the wrong direction and that the window to change course is quickly shrinking. It’s our motivational plea to ourselves to stop regretting the past and to start improving the present.

Turning Point:

‘Turning Point’ is a celebration of the moments that have brought possibility and excitement back into our lives. We all often find ourselves in relationships that have turned lackluster. After a while, it can be easy to start believing they’re all we deserve. Luckily, sometimes all it takes to shake us from that illusion is a small but genuine act of kindness, passion, or warmth. When these moments hit, they can feel like waking from a bad dream and receiving a new lease on happiness and joy.

Listen to Turning Point in it’s entirety!