Baltimore hardcore outfit Turnstile exploded onto the scene in 2021 with their album GLOW ON, a unique brand of hardcore, with strong melodic sensibility and shimmery, ambient sections.

Their 2025 release NEVER ENOUGH was very much a continuation of GLOW ON, keeping the sparse, artsy aesthetic of its predecessor, but leaning more heavily into the ambient elements. SUNSHOWER is a good microcosm of the album. A little over a minute of energetic punk that then gives way to two minutes of almost Pink Floyd-esque airy synths and flute. It's spacious and restrained, almost with an air of mystery. Despite jumping back and forward between these sounds, the album feels cohesive. It does begin to feel a bit one-note towards the end; most of the later tracks consist of Brendan's heavily processed vocals repeating the title of the song while synths sustain a chord in the background. But MAGIC MAN closes the album at just the right time, before it truly overstays its welcome. There's enough groove to keep things interesting throughout, especially the end of SEEIN' STARS, perhaps the best use of a cowbell since Don't Fear the Reaper.

Really, the album feels like a series of come-ups and come-downs. Short, adrenaline-fuelled hardcore sections punctuated by longer moments of clarity. The dysthymic calmness one experiences after a rave. The art direction captures this particularly well. BIRDS features a hectic outdoor concert, with SEEIN' STARS a series of slow-motion images inside a dark warehouse, the apparitions that follow a big trip.

But overall, the album feels kind of vacuous. Everything is well produced and coherent, but it kind of feels like that's where it stops. The art direction and the minimalist aesthetic are pretty, but shallow. The art direction and the lyrics feel less like they have something to say, and more like somebody thought they were just 'cool.' I feel bad criticising the album, because I did enjoy it, and at first glance, it does look like there's a grand, unifying vision behind it all. But it's all just aesthetics.