Turn also features The Ex playing the Eritrean revolutionary song "Huriyet" set to a traditional Tigrinya beat.

Peter Margasak of the Chicago Reader wrote in 2006 that Turn might be the Ex's best album yet, writing that "the addition of upright bassist Rozemarie Heggen, whose classical technique allowed them to explore dissonant textures without sacrificing rhythmic power, seemed to give the band a new focus and energy.

"[10] Joe Tangari of Pitchfork wrote that their "ambitious double-disc set" finds them "elevat[ing] their craft to near perfection over the course of two wild, unpredictable, and unforgettable discs [...] you'd never guess any of these people are over 40."

"[1] Daniel Fetherston of Allmusic wrote that the album "proves that they are still capable of making edgy, urgent, and relevant music [...] in their world, it's still 1982, and bands like The Pop Group, Wire, and Gang of 4 are their peers.

While many younger bands at the time of this album's release were updating that past era's sound, TURN bolsters the argument that those who did it first are, in fact, those that do it best.