If Charli XCX is to be believed, then the summer is set to belong to Turnstile. It’s easy to see why. Across three albums, the Baltimore-based band have expanded beyond their hardcore roots to become a critically acclaimed act. Over that same 10-year period, they’ve developed their sound to embrace melody, groove, and texture. Ultimately taking hardcore in places it’s rarely seen, their fourth album, ‘Never Enough’, arrives with a wealth of expectation.
On first listen, it feels like an organic continuation of 2021’s ‘GLOW ON’, but slightly shinier. For example, ‘I Care’ takes the yacht rock sound of ‘New Heart Design’ and pairs it with breezy pop sensibilities. However, on repeated playthroughs, you pick up on the nuances that make ‘Never Enough’ stand apart from its predecessor.
Experimentation is an element that has allowed Turnstile to stand out amongst their peers. On ‘Never Enough’, it’s once again sporadically utilised. Whether that be the shoegaze waves on the title track, the psychedelic keys that greet ‘Sole’s later moments, or the mariachi horns on ‘Dreaming’. Their scope is cinematic, and executed with confidence. It allows them to incorporate a wide range of sounds and styles with ease, never feeling forced or disruptive to the flow. ‘Dull’s sturdy charge interslices A.G. Cook-produced glitch-pop, morphing into ‘Sunshower’s hardcore onslaught in the process before jazz flautist Shabaka Hutchings takes over serenely.
At over six minutes, ‘Look Out For Me’ showcases Turnstile‘s sonic breadth. Pat McCrory’s bouncing guitars complement Daniel Fang’s punchy drums. Along with Franz Lyons’ bass and Brendan Yates’ desperate screams of “Now my heart is hanging by a thread,” the track becomes monumental. As it transitions into hypnotic house music with steel drums, the quintet provide a moment of reflection.
Even though their genre-blending ways are firmly intact across these 14 songs, Turnstile still know how to rip. ‘Sole’ and ‘Slow Dive’ both stomp with jagged guitars and pounding percussion. Underpinned with grit, the latter hits with a thrash metal bite. Whereas the penultimate track, ‘Time Is Happening,’ thrives in its skate-punk skin. ‘Seein’ Stars’ (featuring a subtle guest vocal from Hayley Williams) maintains the atmospheric gloss that weaves its way through Never Enough. Throughout the album, Daniel Fang’s distinctive drum work proves to be especially colourful, matching the often kaleidoscopic approach of his bandmates. His polyrhythmic beats on ‘Seein’ Stars’ serve as a slick transition into ‘Birds’ pit-made explosion.
The album wraps up with ‘Magic Man’s ambient synth pop. Yates’ vocals echo against a mournful synth, indicating closure. Furthermore, it emphasises the lyrical isolation that Yates sings about throughout.
The ‘Never Enough’ era for Turnstile isn’t quite as instantaneous, yet maintains the band’s bold, expansive approach. Often done to the fullest degree, it’s a record that’s designed to be soaked in repeatedly, from start to finish. Given time, these songs burrow into your subconscious. Their unwavered belief wins you over, and is the sound of a fearless band, undaunted by expectations. Whether or not they remain a hardcore band is an entirely different discussion for another time. What matters now is this: with ‘Never Enough’, Turnstile have delivered a record that feels like it’s meant to soundtrack the summer and beyond. Vibrant, emotional, and endlessly replayable – this could be their season.
‘Never Enough’ by Turnstile is released on June 6th on Roadrunner Records (pre-order).
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