“Tapped out and tearing at the seams.”
It’s hard to believe, but we’re now approaching four whole years since Turnstile’s seminal third album, GLOW ON, was released into the world. In the years since, the Baltimore hardcore unit have skyrocketed into a level of success that, at the time of GLOW ON’s release, was unbecoming of the genre, but more pertinently emblematic of a sea change in the realm of heavy music. It was the catalyst to hardcore’s (and broadly, punk and metal’s) re-entry (or perhaps, first true entry) into the mainstream of rock, one that in the years since has seen groups such as Knocked Loose and (perhaps controversially) Sleep Token do just the same, in the latter’s case to an even higher degree.
Of course, within the microcosm of heavy music, the stylistic rift between these three groups is quite sizable – this is not to say they are one in the same. However, the cultural shift that took place following GLOW ON’s release is one that affected the scene in its entirety. Suddenly, cult-classic and underground beaus of the scene were receiving mainstream attention, and the wider genre space shifted from a slight point of commercial stagnation to garnering attention from the pop world, with many groups further becoming critical darlings in a way that was largely unreflective of the prior two decades for heavy music.
There are many reasons I believe GLOW ON was such an effective catalyst for this, but I believe chiefly among them is the album’s ability to bridge the gap; to extend an olive branch outwards beyond hardcore, and entice an audience of indie, shoegaze and pop-oriented listeners to dip their toes in the world of riffs and beatdowns. It worked, too, with many soon becoming converts, and its effects in a post-TikTok world can be observed almost everywhere, every day.
Naturally, this came with some degree of controversy – whilst Turnstile were hailed by many as kings (and now queens) of the heavy world for the success they achieve with GLOW ON, as is natural for this side of the music spectrum, many decried the record (and thusly the band) as not hardcore enough, or hurling the much-chagrined sellout label at the group. I think these claims are unfounded, personally – there was enough classic hardcore edge in GLOW ON that I truly believe it offered something up to every type of listener, even the budding hardcore fanatic clinging on since Pressure To Succeed.
The thing about Turnstile, though, is they were never just a hardcore band. Since the band’s debut LP, Nonstop Feeling, they’ve been exploring aspects of indie and shoegaze in their sound, all with a fairly high degree of quality and acclaim. There’s a case to be made that GLOW ON jumped the shark with that notion, and while I suppose that’s valid, I see it as nothing but a positive. GLOW ON was a bold redefinition of what a hardcore album, and more specifically a Turnstile album, could be. And, if GLOW ON represented that redefinition, then 2025’s NEVER ENOUGH is a valiant planting-of-the-feet; an affirming cry of ‘this is who we are’, expanded to dizzying heights.
NEVER ENOUGH, end-to-end, is an album, through and through. Perhaps a puzzling claim to make in the midst of an album review in isolation, but there’s a tendency within hardcore to discount the album experience, rather opting for rough-and-ready banger-after-banger in lieu of a considered, paced album experience. It’s a valid approach, especially given the genre’s general aesthetics and structure – we aren’t talking about prog here. However, Turnstile’s expanse beyond the traditional modes of hardcore offer an aesthetic slightly more conducive to the album experience; a notion that has been wholly explored and executed on NEVER ENOUGH.
It’s clear from even the earliest moments of NEVER ENOUGH that the consideration of flow and structure is such a core tenet of the album’s DNA. It’s impressive, too, that both in isolation and in the sequencing of the album, each and every track here feels like it has an express purpose; a firm place within the context of NEVER ENOUGH – a 14-track goliath that stands as Turnstile’s longest to date at 45 minutes.
The key to this is flow and variety, both of which Turnstile demonstrate a masterful grasp on in NEVER ENOUGH, from its floaty, bright outset in the gorgeous and sun-soaked title track “NEVER ENOUGH”, to its eventual, sudden terminus in “MAGIC MAN”. Throughout its runtime, Turnstile pepper in classic notions of hardcore, shoegaze, indie and pop, with some help along the way with some surprising guest features – more on that later – and it all feels synergistic and organic. What minor issues I had GLOW ON in terms of flow song-to-song seem to be entirely eliminated here, and I find it difficult not to listen to this thing end-to-end whenever I stick it on.
The aforementioned sun-soaked vibe, too, is something that is rarely let up on throughout NEVER ENOUGH’s countless twists, turns and surprises to its absolute benefit, and works to paint a picture throughout all of Turnstile’s notions and leanings that they are a summer band. Make no mistake, despite some classically sombre lyrics on display and the occasional riff-down, NEVER ENOUGH is an album of bonafide summer anthems, filled to the brim with danceable rhythms and bright, enveloping soundscapes that feel destined for hot days in fields and parks with your friends.
To bring their vision to life, too, Turnstile seem not to have shied away from enlisting the help of some of their friends. Appearing once again of course is long-time collaborator Blood Orange, now alongside such household names as Hayley Williams, Faye Webster, Shabaka Hutchings and, perhaps most surprisingly, A.G. Cook. The additions aren’t quite as overt as one would expect from features of this calibre, and feel more appropriately like true creative collaborations and, perhaps by-design, like a group of friends simply having fun with each other’s projects in small ways.
Of course, Williams’ addition to the Turnstile fold isn’t all that surprising, given vocalist Brendan Yates’ creative ties to the group (as the director for all of Paramore’s recent videos), and Williams’ long-standing and outspoken appreciation of the group for years, but the production feature from Cook stands out – providing a glitchy, experimental soundscape at the tail end of one of the album’s utmost highlights in “DULL”.
The album is littered with such highlights, too, with the aforementioned opening and title track “NEVER ENOUGH” truly standing as one of the band’s greatest yet – a roaring epic; a declarative mission statement for the LP, spanning five dense minutes and capturing the summery, bright and affirming energy that carries the album throughout. Mid-album cut “SUNSHOWER” further stands out, with some of the album’s most electric percussion from drummer Daniel Fang, proving to be a surefire fan favourite for fans old and new alike. Further, early rager “SOLE” demonstrates that the band’s hardcore roots remain firmly intact when the call comes.
The album’s more sonically expansive and off-kilter moments, such as “DREAMING” with its brass instrumentation (from Kae Murphy and Leland Whitty) littered atop Turnstile’s typical punky and bright soundscape, the serene flute solo from Shabaka Hutchings on “SUNSHOWER”, as well as the aforementioned A.G. Cook-led soundscaping at the tail end of “DULL”, add a sense of whimsy and wild experimentation to the album’s broad sonic palette that wholly lands, and further provides even more memorable highlights throughout.
Truthfully, though, it’s hard to assess a lot of these songs in isolation, as it’s truly the bigger picture that matters on NEVER ENOUGH. That bigger picture, however, is one of Turnstile’s most brilliant and expansive to date. If GLOW ON was a declarative mission statement of what Turnstile’s new foundation was destined to be, NEVER ENOUGH is a valiant planting of the band’s feet in that same soil, and expanding its surface area to new and exciting places. Fans of the many notions of Turnstile’s sound, old and new, will find plenty to love here. More pertinently, however, those searching for much, much more will find plenty to sink their teeth into here.
9.5/10
NEVER ENOUGH is due for release this Friday via Roadrunner, and you can find pre-orders for the record here. NEVER ENOUGH: A 14-SONG VISUAL ALBUM will premiere in theaters worldwide starting this June, and you can find tickets here.