Words by Grace Franklin
During her Coachella set, Charli XCX declared it a “Turnstile summer,” with the release of their fourth studio album, Never Enough, the band has more than proven her right. The Alt-rock band from Maryland is taking risks and experimenting with new sounds in this new album. Back in 2021, Turnstile made a breakthrough with their Grammy-nominated album Glow On. Back then the band was celebrated for bending genres, mixing hardcore punk with shoegaze on a single record and Never Enough is no exception. This is the band’s first album since their original guitarist, Brady Ebert, parted ways in 2022. Following the massive success of Glow On, this new project doubles down on Turnstile’s refusal to be boxed in.
Never Enough explores themes of inner conflict and self-reliance. Sonically, the album includes slower, dream-like tracks and classic head-banging hardcore punk sounds. It is a melting pot of genres with elements of new wave, shoegaze, punk, and even jazz. It’s not often that you hear the flute paired with intense guitar riffs and heavy drums on the same track, however, Turnstile somehow makes it work. In a New York Times interview about the album, lead singer, Brandon Yates talks about pushing boundaries sonically in Never Enough. “The music we make is not necessarily defined by the sounds, it’s defined by the people. If the music is not reflective of the people, then what is it?”
Though there is something to dive into with every song on the album, there were a few standout tracks. “SOLE” is the first punk song we hear starting with pummeling drums in the first few seconds. Brandon Yates begins to sing, or rather scream, about how your better off being alone when things feel out of control. The lyrics on this track set the tone for the rest of the album. “I CARE” is a new wave track about losing yourself in a relationship. This song is a complete departure from their original hardcore sound. The bright rippling guitars give it almost a surfer-tune vibe. “SUNSHOWER” is possibly the most interesting song on the album. It begins with a muted guitar riff and then breaks out into exploding drums like a classic punk song. However, the track morphs into a completely different genre at the end, with an experimental jazz, Andre 3000-esque flute solo, diverging the mood entirely. The album ends with a ballad by Brandon Yates called “MAGIC MAN,” a song about a force guiding someone through struggle and grief. It ends a rather dark album with a hopeful tone.
Though Never Enough is undeniably a fairly solid album, it feels almost like a rough draft of Glow On. It is sonically interesting but sometimes the lyrics fall a little flat. I’m excited that Turnstile is not putting themselves in a box when it comes to their genre, however, I think they need to figure out how to define their sound more, especially after losing a band member. Overall, Never Enough is still a good album and I’m interested to see how their experimentation translates into future projects.
Loudspeaker Collective 