On Their Latest Album Glow On, Turnstile Refuse to Be Limited By Genre Boundaries

Add some shred and grooves to your day

Earlier this summer, Turnstile released TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION, a four-song teaser that was eight minutes of bangers. Songs like “Holiday” with its drum machine intro and offbeat percussion teased that the Baltimore band was again looking to explore more genres.

Turnstile has never been a straightforward hardcore band in their decade together, but their last album, Time & Space, hinted at their refusal to be labeled as it explored alternative sounds. With their third record, GLOW ON, the band has thrown any genre expectations out the window in a crafty move that makes them appealing to an endless audience.

The chugging guitar riffs and shout-along vocals of their earlier work are still present, but the effervescent synths and forrays into shoegaze, new wave, and hints of R&B elevate Turnstile to the next level.

The most noticed change for this outing is the production by singer Brandon Yates and Mike Elizondo, who got his start as Dr. Dre’s apprentice and has gone on to produce everyone from Eminem and Fiona Apple to the (double-checks the discography) Jonas Brothers. While Elizondo has worked with fellow metalheads Mastadon, it’s an interesting call on paper but works brilliantly throughout GLOW ON as an inspired choice to push the band in their welcomed new direction.

Also present on two songs is fellow genre-bender Dev Hynes, better known as Blood Orange, who sits in on the hazed-out sounds of “Alien Love Call” and closing track “Lonely Dezires.”

Exploring all of these genres over fifteen songs and thirty-five minutes shouldn’t work, but there isn’t a weak track here. After the dreamy fade-in to “Mystery,” Turnstile doesn’t let off the pedal for the duration of the record. The album highlight “Don’t Play” is a wild ride, working from old-school punk into bongo and block-filled samba funk before waltzing into a memorable keyboard riff that’s swept away by hair metal solo by guitarist Brady Ebert. More impressive is all of this happens in two minutes, a common theme on the album.

GLOW ON is a snapshot of a band at the top of their game. Not only is Turnstile doing whatever they please, but they also appear to have fun doing it. Put this record on and crank it up. It absolutely deserves your time.

GLOW ON is available now on Roadrunner Records.

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