Album Review: Turnstile - NEVER ENOUGH

For once, that dreamy stasis colors a stillness in Turnstile’s momentum. ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ directs the band in their most dreamiest, but also somewhat haphazard direction to date. Sometimes putting a hard stop on the band’s melodic impact, but opening up more pensive reflections than ever before.

Ever since their debut album, Turnstile has very much been known for presenting Hardcore in its most anthemic and most outward-looking form, where, despite the turmoils and chaos that have been tossed their way, they keep on trudging forward. Their spirit unwavering, the possibility of better musings in life is waved like a flag that never stays down. That, paired with gradual flourishes towards other genres that started in their 2018 album, ‘Time & Space’, is a populist move that has only brought more people to their short yet sweet hardcore punk and uplifting lyrical moods. Characteristics that have only gotten more cloudy and poppier on ‘GLOW ON’, bringing even more dabblings in funk and psychedelia that boosted the melodies and themes to another level. Not just that, as it even went to the point that more names are paying attention to them, most especially when Charli XCX has shouted them out back in April of this year.

Yet, what eventually happens when you do start questioning that forward momentum? Continuing to hold on to that emotive frenzy and dreamy tones, but now there are certain aspects of life that you just can’t ignore? ‘Never Enough’ certainly feels like the continuation of Turnstile’s genre-flourishing, upwards-looking hardcore punk of their past, but for once, their dreamy stillness now washes all around every pummeling punch that the band offers. A realization where the sense of loss and the gradual motion of time are inescapable. They can keep on running, but they can’t avoid the tides that will wash them ashore.

And across the album, there is an acceptance with keeping the pace a bit slower, where room for thought is available, and the pensive emotions just seep on through. Willing to wade across those waters as they absorb the loneliness, regret, heartbreak, and anger that comes with it. A set of aching feelings that allows personal introspection to flow through. ‘BIRD’ speaks on it openly: “I was told that love and death go hand in hand / When you find is when you understand.” In finding all these aching experiences, there comes the understanding of what it means to keep on trudging forward. Losing someone and getting older may be on everybody’s minds, but to provide and receive love is something worth holding onto in our fleeting lives. Something worth remembering.

With this overall thematic focus, this is where the band’s compositions and production swivels become more fitting, but also rather haphazard. Not just bringing the most collaborations across their entire catalogue - from Hayley Williams, Devonte Hynes, AG Cook, Faye Webster, and a lot more, but also with guitarist Brady Ebert leaving the band, and Brendan Yates handling the production work for most of the album. It’s a drastic set of changes, paired with all the dreamy soundscapes that do more melodic and structural expansions to these mostly punchy songs. Executed quite well across the rapid melodic movements that start off ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ and ‘SUNSHOWER’, just before the former's gleaming ambiance and latter’s fluttering flute accents from Shabaka set the mood on the back half of those songs; the rampaging guitar riffs on ‘SOLE’ that ends up with an extensive bridge that wanders across psychedelic synths and reverbed vocal woos; the nimble groove focus that gives more pop on ‘SEEIN’ STARS’ and ‘I CARE’; the lengthy 6-minute hardcore and electronic dance extravagance of ‘LOOK OUT FOR ME’; and the shimmering vocals across a captivating guitar solo on ‘TIME IS HAPPENING’.

But outside of those, the album’s mix of short & long, dream pop & hardcore punk contrasts and interjections means that the momentum ends up being slippery for the most part. Not even considering the parts where, as much as Brendan Yates’ production can be really potent - the drums and synths sound absolutely terrific - the guitar lines don’t have the impact they really should to have these melodies connect. Instead, it only seems to blur them together. Creating difficulty on which one strikes the most until you’ve started noticing the finer details of each song.

For an album that now questions the band on where they are and how to proceed from the pensive pangs around them, ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ seems to answer those questions, yet doesn’t seem to satisfy either. The potency with Turnstile’s punk ethos is still there, and the sonic growth is still shown in multiple angles, yet issues surrounding structure and production do shave out some impact within all that gloss and all that pumping energy. There definitely could be more here, but even then, there are enough shimmering colors that are still worth observing.

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Favorite Tracks: ‘NEVER ENOUGH’, ‘SOLE’, ‘I CARE’, ‘SUNSHOWER’, ‘LOOK OUT FOR ME’, ‘SEEIN’ STARS’, ‘TIME IS HAPPENING’

Least Favorite Track: ‘CEILING’