Glow On - Turnstile: Review
Turnstile
is a Baltimore based hardcore act who first broke out in 2015 when their debut album Nonstop Feeling became a fam favorite in numerous online circles. Glow On is the bands third album and their longest to date, which was teased throughout 2021 with 5 singles.
Review By Lav:
When Turnstile's debut album came out I was in the very place where angry music thrives, high school. One day Turnstile just appeared and while I knew plenty of people who became obsessed, I wasn't quite as impressed. Even though I thought their sophomore album was a big improvement I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed the crop of singles for this record. Normally where a Turnstile record wouldn't even be on my radar, this one really got my attention and I was even anticipating its release. While I wasn't quite as head over heels for Glow On as some critics, it is far and away my favorite of the bands releases so far.
Lets talk about those singles that had me looking forward to this album. Mystery is a ripping opener with some guitar heroics and an explosive chorus. It is mixed in a way that really gives everything room to breathe which is unlike most stuff in this vein of hardcore. While the hook isn't quite as catchy as some others here the rush of instrumentation makes for a high impact on the hook. Blackout is the best of the bunch and the song that really got me hyped. The driving verses build up to an exciting explosive hook. I love how the instrumentation develops across the song and gives it a great rising sensation. Throw in some versatile percussion and a memorable hook and you've got a big highlight. The third of the bunch is Fly Again which features another killer hook and some hazy, heavy guitars that fit in perfectly with the records dreamy aesthetic.
Underwater Boi is like dream pops answer to hardcore music. The song pairs chugging heavy guitars with a dense mix and some sweeter manipulated vocals. The whole thing is jarring at first but ultimately it works pretty well to make an exciting and sonically varied track. Some of my favorite deep cuts on the record come in a row on the back half of the record starting with Wild Wrld. I've seen a few reviewers gloss over this track but I think it's emerged as one of my favorites with a much more conventional hardcore sound and a chorus that demands to be shouted along to. This is followed by Dance-Off a end of the world rager with a freaky bridge and then New Heart Design one of the most emo inspired cuts with more dramatic vocals and sweeter guitar tones. It all adds up to a very satisfying sequence.
There are a pair of tracks that feature Blood Orange which lends credence to the bands very conscious decision to take their hardcore sound in a more dreamy direction. While the sounds work better together than I thought they would the actual songs themselves don't impress me much. Alien Love Call survives through some punchy drums over which Dev's vocals sound a bit out of place. More than anything Brendan's pitched up vocals send up sounding completely out of place on the song. Closing track Lonely Dezires is the other Blood Orange track and while it gets off to a pretty good start with an up-tempo groove it only sticks around for about 90 seconds before draining all the rock instrumentation out and ending it on a very slow note with a wall of synths.
This record is 15 tracks long with many being close to or even under two minutes so I won't talk about every single track, but here are some of the ones I at least had mixed feelings about. Don't Play is a great example of how some of these tracks lead into and out of each other but the actual song itself is weighed down by some of the less impactful refrains on the record. Holiday is mostly notable for the weird but kind of cool drip sound effects it interpolates but it also suffers heavily from mundane repeated refrains. Endless is a song I really wanted to like but it has some really rough backing vocals that make it hard for me to take the song that seriously, which is unfortunate because the instrumental is pretty explosive and engaging.
Glow On is another big step in the right direction for Turnstile. While it's no secret I have been critical of the band in the past I think they stumbled upon something pretty unique and interesting on this record. The fusion of their hardcore style with some dreamier and hazier sounds is pretty impressive and succeeds in spite of the same kind of song writing stumbles they've always suffered from. While there are plenty of awkward moments on the record there are a lot more driving guitar riffs and killer hooks. I think it's safe to say Turnstile gave me a reason to really pay attention to their music for the first time so far. 7/10
