Album review: Turnstile – NEVER ENOUGH

There's high anticipation, and then there's the wait for NEVER ENOUGH. In fact, since Turnstile's 2021 album GLOW ON sent shockwaves through the alternative scene and beyond, all eyes have been on the Baltimore punks to see what they would do next, and where they would take their shapeshifting sound.

In the 10 years since their debut, the hardcore crew have long since eschewed any notion of being tied to that scene, embarking on their own journey, incorporating everything from psychedelia to drone, and on NEVER ENOUGH their desire to experiment and grow is writ large.

Cinematic in its scope and execution, it all flows together, and while tracks like the breezy I CARE will undoubtedly feature on countless ‘Summer vibes’ playlists, NEVER ENOUGH is best digested whole, immersing oneself in the singular vision of a band who create without barriers or predetermined convention. Some songs don’t even have an ending, they metamorphose in search for something new, underlining the fact that you can’t and shouldn’t expect music to be just one thing.

Shimmering into view, the opening title-track is a direct continuation of GLOW ON, with its ethereal ambience and frontman Brendan Yates’ trademark echoing vocals, weaving around the increasingly beefy guitars. It is, as they say, a mood. It’s a bubble the entire record exists in, and while it may find time and space for monstrous riffs and neck-wrecking aggression, nothing stands in isolation, all bound in a dreamscape of wavy electronics.

It also allows the band to flex their muscles and various inspirations. With five members whose collective tastes cover everything from Bad Brains to David Bowie to Enya, there’s a bounty of flourishes and flavours on offer, from the jangling 2000s indie of I CARE to the trumpets on DREAMING to the pop-punk energy of TIME IS HAPPENING to the disco beat of SEEIN STARS, it’s a densely-packed and intricately layered showcase.

But for those looking for music to hurl themselves about to, Turnstile have you covered. The revved-up SOLE leaves no time to catch your breath, and BIRDS’ stink-face riff and bellow-along chorus is pure pit fuel, but even when you think the band are leading you down one avenue, they veer hard to the left. There's SUNSHOWER’s breakneck call-and-response morphing into pan pipes, and the superb LOOK OUT FOR ME (clocking in at almost seven minutes) slinging out monstrous guitars and the cathartic ‘Now my heart is hanging by a thread’ vocal hook, that descends into something completely different with steel drums and a throbbing bass, acting as a stark, sensory reminder that nothing is permanent.

Indeed, themes of insignificance and our temporal nature are littered throughout the album, as are those of love and being loved, and all the positives and negatives that go along with it. There’s an air of melancholy amongst the mosh, reckoning with difficult emotions and feelings in a way that isn’t on the nose, but doesn’t shy away from one’s own vulnerabilities or insecurities, particularly around heartbreak and ending chapters of life.

And this new chapter in the story of Turnstile is ultimately one self-belief, pushing their art in a way that feels effortless, managing to be simultaneously familiar and fresh at the same time. If GLOW ON was proof of concept, NEVER ENOUGH is the realised vision, taking the blueprint to its natural conclusion, never buckling under the weight of the surrounding pressure. In much the same way Bring Me The Horizon broke away from the metalcore pack and left a sea of bands trying to catch up, Turnstile are ahead of the curve once again and showing what’s possible when you follow your own path.

Verdict: 5/5

For fans of: Scowl, Higher Power, Militarie Gun

NEVER ENOUGH is released on June 6 via Roadrunner.

Read this next:

• Who are Turnstile’s fans?
• Turnstile: “There’s no higher priority than having this feel special and unique”
  
• Scowl: “Please don’t check out. I hope I can plant that seed in young people who I see myself in”