ALBUM REVIEW: Turnstile – NEVER ENOUGH

‘…what Turnstile manage to execute here is interesting, but you always feel like you’re waiting for the band to illuminate you on what the point of it all is…’

Few bands have managed to achieve cross-cultural relevancy like Turnstile have. The Baltimore five piece have been around since 2010, and after becoming cult legends in the hardcore scene, they gained a footing within mainstream alternative consciousness with their 2021 record, ‘Glow On’. Acclaim , both critical and general, was lauded upon the record for its refusal to adhere to genre expectations, and Grammy nominations followed for the tracks ‘Blackout’ and ‘Holiday’.

Four years later, the band have finally returned, with the position of departed founding guitarist Brady Ebert having been filled by touring guitarist Meg Mills. ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ sees the band building upon what ‘Glow On’ started, with an intense refusal to be pigeonholed into a single style or genre. There is a hardcore foundation, but threaded throughout are elements of shoegaze, ambient, new wave, dream pop, and pop punk. The creativity here cannot be denied, but it perhaps comes at the cost of cohesion.

The opening title track is undeniably a firecracker, not only picking up loosely where ‘Glow On’ left off, but finessing those concepts as well. The hardcore notes shine through brilliantly, adding some real rawness to the otherwise ethereal nature of the track. ‘LIGHT DESIGN‘ leans heavily in a shoegazey, grungey direction, with fuzzy walls of chugging guitars layered with sparkling atmosphere, whilst ‘DULL’ takes that heaviness to the next logical level, alternating between monstrous chugging and moments that almost feel a little trap inspired. 

‘SEEIN’ STARS’ brings some interesting funk to proceedings, with a real sense of groove to the rhythmic elements of the track. ‘MAGIC MAN’ makes for a glittering closing number, doubling down purely on the album’s dream pop stylings to produce a track the indie kids will adore, oozing a melancholic swagger. There is undoubtedly a lot to like here, and for those that enjoyed what ‘Glow On’ offered, then ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ is undoubtedly going to scratch a similar itch.

The problem with this record, however, is that none of these tracks truly stand out from among the rest. This is predominantly because the tracks here attempt to cram several different concepts together, and do very little to make them flow cohesively; tracks will jarringly jump from hardcore pummelling to dream pop meandering with zero sense of progression or direction. Nothing that Turnstile performs is performed poorly, but how these performances are placed together leaves a lot to be desired. 

‘SUNSHOWER’ is perhaps the worst offender for this. The track is split almost perfectly down the middle, with a clean-cut hardcore punk first half, and a dreamy, field recording styled second half. Both sides undeniably have their appeal, and this could have made for a truly majestic centre point for the album to pivot around, perhaps as a lengthy, progressive piece. Yet instead, this feels like two separate concepts that have been thrown into a single track together, neither of which having been fleshed out.

Conversely, ‘LOOK OUT FOR ME’ strings together elements of hardcore punk, shoegaze, and deep house, and does spend time on building the track up. However, the payoff simply never arrives; there’s a pleasant enough instrumental back half that embraces the ideas from dance and dream pop, but the ideas never resolve; it’s a rollercoaster that goes up and up, but then abruptly stops and kicks you off. 

Instead of this sounding like a record composed of fourteen tracks, ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ ends up sounding like a forty five minute tour of three times as many ideas. Certainly, most of what Turnstile manage to execute here is interesting, but you always feel like you’re waiting for the band to illuminate you on what the point of it all is. There are, however, no revelations or conclusions to be found; there is only one pretty cool idea after another, and simply a collection of cool ideas does not make a great album. 

RATING: 66/100 – Mostly Good

For Fans Of: October Drift, Dear Boy, PUP, Scowl, Title Fight

Physical copies are available to purchase here.

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