'Turn a Blind Eye' is simply about how people tend to ignore problems instead of dealing with them and how they face the same issues all over and over again, but instead of fixing them, they pretend these issues don’t exist. Basically, it’s easier to turn a blind eye and act like nothing’s wrong, rather than face those problems head-on.
Moving the spotlight towards the music, the music has this smooth, melodic flow, almost like a conversation, not just in the vocals but with the instruments too. It feels like a group of musicians hanging out, throwing ideas around, and bringing them together through their performances. You’ve got the drums and bass right in the centre, sounding dry and saturated with this nice, puffy low-end, grooving along to an easy, flexible beat. Then there’s the acoustic guitar strumming away, standing out, with these wide, warm keys like piano and organ subtly switching up the feel and tone.
And finally, you have these electric guitars on top that have this smooth and creamy vintage tone but with a lot of mid-range, a little bit of that sharpness and just the perfect touch of distortion. And mainly, these performances are truly amazing. There's this striking balance between soft, gentle coordination and each musician’s strong individual presence. All this music backs a voice that’s super focused on expression, really getting into those deep, introspective lyrics. You've got some light harmonies in there with that nostalgic reverb.
Following up with the lyrics, this song goes on to express how people often have the mentality of, "If we don’t look at it, it’s not happening." It’s something a lot of people do, whether it’s with personal stuff or bigger issues in society. In a way, they agree not to call each other out on things, as long as no one makes a fuss about it. Then there's also a feeling of being stuck or unsure about what to do next. The question of how to go about this feels like wondering how to fix the situation, but it’s admitted that things probably won’t change because the problems just keep coming back. It’s a cycle where people ignore things, they return, and then they get ignored again.
Now, all that being said, this commentary on human nature and the tendency to avoid responsibility is not the only side to this song. Another layer of meaning could be the song's reflection on modern life and information overload. With news and crises constantly bombarding people, there's an emotional burnout that can lead to apathy. It can also imply how individuals protect their mental health by "turning a blind eye" to the endless stream of negativity, which might be necessary for survival but also contributes to collective inaction. Really interesting!