Album Review: Glow On by Turnstile (by Richard Mair)

Invention in hardcore can go one of two ways. Taking landmark albums such as Converge’s ‘Jane Doe’ and Refused’s ‘Shape Of Punk To Come’, they can either double down on the ferocity, becoming almost too intense and visceral whilst bludgeoning the audience to submission through cavalcades of frenetic noise like the former or alternatively incorporate elements from disparate scenes and sounds to extend the palette of hardcore – such as jazz, dance and pop like the latter. Both approaches are needed and whilst the Converge approach is unlikely to bring a new audience, instead helping retain advocates and more than likely fostering a more rabid and passionate fan base for the scene, the second is certainly needed to help re-profile what hardcore can be.

Currently acting as the new nexus for hardcore Baltimore, Maryland’s leading lights Turnstile return with an album that pushes the boundary in much the same way as ‘The Shape Of Punk To Come’ did in 1999. Perhaps more linear than Refused’s masterpiece, ‘Glow On’ is arguably the next brilliant crossover album the scene has been yearning for over the best part of a quarter of a decade. This is pop hardcore; not like the unique (and bonkers) pop hardcore noise of The Armed but perhaps more akin to The Movielife’s ‘This Time Next Year’. Sure, it’s a softer more polished album than their previous full lengths; yet its DNA is unashamedly in the rhythmic hook-laden hardcore they’ve become synonymous with. Despite the gloss and sheen, this is a hardcore album. Will it polarise opinion? Undoubtedly. Will it take Turnstile to a much larger audience? Inevitably. And this is certainly a good thing when you look at the excellent and diverse acts coming out of Baltimore at the moment from the politically charged, self-aware metalcore tinged Sharptooth to the east coast youth core revivalists of End It; you would hope they would elevate their scene to new heights. In essence, Turnstile are sure to be ushering in a new golden age of hardcore.

‘Glow On’ is not a perfect album. Before we get carried away it does have its flaws. The obvious one being that some of the songs need more. The biggest culprit of this is album closer ‘Lonely Dezires’. As an album it builds to what should be an epic closer, and yet at 2:42 it feels too short; especially as it feels it would naturally round out with a big chorus instead of the more electronic tinged melody that seems to put a stop to proceedings a little premature. It’s also likely that the desire to push boundaries comes at the expense of creating a coherent flow and rhythm (something predecessor ‘Time And Space’ balanced perfectly); consequently at times it can feel disjointed. The flow in the middle of the album for example feels a little off with ‘Alien Love Call’ (an excellent song in its own right) sitting uncomfortably next to the more traditional hardcore songs of ‘Wild Wrld’ and ‘Fly Again’.

These are little niggles and probably missteps that stand out given how great the album actually is. Opening track ‘Mystery’ sets the tone for the album and it’s very clearly a Turnstile song of old, although subtly introducing some of the electronic flourishes that permeate through the whole album. It’s a juggernaut of a hook-ridden song with a pre-chorus that helps elevate the chorus proper to one of epic proportions. The song is likely to be described as ‘limbs’ when heard in a live setting.

Following ‘Mystery’ is ‘Blackout’, which is just a masterclass in beats and grooves; especially through the verses. Yet its chorus is simple, effective, rammed with melody and in every sense reminiscent of songs that Turnstile were producing on their early EPs; complete with a very typical hardcore beat down. It’s absolutely a song that hardcore purists will love. Rounding out the opening section is ‘Don’t Play’, a song that has tinges of early Smash-era Offspring (think ‘LAPD’ / ‘Tehran’ / ‘Come Out And Play’); complete with a very skate-punk intro. Underpinning much of the song is a really neat melody that highlights the creative approach the band have taken with ‘Glow On’. All opening three songs are standouts and yet it’s the 4th song that really demonstrates their growth and progression…

‘Underwater Boi’ has all the hallmarks and tropes of a hardcore song (chugging riffs but slowed right down, beat downs although delivered by a voice as opposed to an instrument). It’s the perfect deconstruction of a hardcore song into something brand new. It’s so different to anything they’ve done before and yet works perfectly in the context of the album. It’s a genuinely fun song. The same thing can be said of the 80s vibe that runs through ‘New Heart Design’, with its Duran Duran style verses. This creativity extends to the inclusion of the aforementioned ‘Alien Love Call’ which features Blood Orange / Dev Hynes as a guest and again demonstrates how versatile hardcore can be in the right hands.

‘Holiday’ and ‘Humanoid / Shake It Up’ both have a feel of ‘Time And Space’ about them. ‘Holiday’ in particular is all about the groove, where as ‘Humanoid’ has a distinctly Ramones-inspired hardcore-ness about it, especially the vocal delivery. This is where the album really works; despite all its forward leaning pretensions its these nods to the past when aligned with the new that give the album its sparkle. This extends to the most traditionally hardcore, lyric based song: ‘Turnstile Love Connection’ with its ‘Thank you for letting me be myself’ self-actualisation chant; which comes across as a love letter to the scene for recognising their success in developing their sound and allowing them to be true to themselves.

‘Lonely Dezires’ closes the album; and whilst it’s a great song in its own right it feels lacking as a closer given what has come before; and rather than ending with a bang, which would be more fitting, it means the album feels like it fades away (unless you see this as subverting expectation in a way that only Turnstile can). It’s a small gripe, as a stand-alone song it’s brilliant, but in the wider context it falls a little flat. I’m sure many will disagree!

The real stand out performance on the album has to be the rhythm / percussion section of Franz Lyons and Daniel Fang – genuinely, they have laid a marker down for others. The changes in tempo and rhythm they orchestrate are outstanding; ‘Dance Off’ and ‘Wild Wrld’ in particular showcase their talents. One nerdy statement to make is that it needs to be heard in the best format possible. Listening to Glow On through a Dolby Atmos set up it takes on a whole new depths and layers as beats and voices cascade from all directions. Mike Elizondo’s work on the production (and synths) is truly outstanding and needs to be recognised.

Returning to the fun element, hardcore is often a genre that is – by its nature – very serious and yet this album has an innate care-free feel about it. It’s genuinely fun with a broad everyman vibe. It’s a hardcore album for people who like to dance and sing to the music as opposed to get angry and throw their fists in the air as proclamation of the truths of the hardcore band in front of them. This appeal is crucial and whilst I’m much more of a fan of the political tinged, angry vitriolic hardcore, this is a perfect gateway for people to discover bands such as Bane, Battery, Have Heart, American Nightmare, Converge or Rotting Out, that may at one time felt intimidating. Coupled with this, hardcore is in a really healthy place at the moment; The Armed have released a genuine masterpiece this year and acts such as Power Alone, Initiate and Sharptooth are providing a much needed feminist lens to a once male dominated scene. Finally, One Step Closer have dropped an incredible album that is likely to benefit off of the back of the interest in ‘Glow On’; and in doing so taking them to a much wider audience than they could have expected with their debut full length. After the recent emo revival, it really feels like the next wave of hardcore is ready for its time in the sun.

I’ve seen a lot of love for this album already and rightly so. It is an incredible piece of work that stands to elevate Turnstile to almost unheard levels for a hardcore band, such is its crossover appeal. It is flawed; yet that makes it all the more real and natural. Does it eclipse ‘Time And Space’… I’m not so sure; however what it does do is firmly cement Turnstile as one of the most forward thinking, accessible and essential bands currently laying beatdowns down.

Stream and download Glow On from your chosen music provider and like Turnstile on Facebook here.

This review was written by Richard Mair.