BLACK VINYL Turnstile's third album, Glow On, broke them out of the hardcore scene and into the mainstream, earning near-universal acclaim, a Grammy nomination, and prominent chart placements around the world. Since their formation in 2010, the Baltimore band have tested the genre's borders, infusing their heavy music with unexpected musical references and an exploratory nature, traits they amplified on Glow On. Arriving four years later and weighted with expectations is Never Enough, the group's fourth full-length. Produced by frontman Brendan Yates with assistance from hardcore specialist Will Yip, this is the sound of a band in their creative prime, undaunted -- and quite possibly ignited -- by the spotlight now trained on them. It's their first release without founding guitarist Brady Ebert, who is replaced by new member Meg Mills, and even if the change is subtle, Turnstile have turned a corner here. Without abandoning their hardcore roots, they embrace a definitively more melodic sound that visits all sorts of locales, from lush dream pop and electronica to pristine, funky alt-rock and thrashy nu metal, all of it played with confidence and finesse. Across the board there is a greater emphasis on Yates' voice, which is its own unique instrument. In its more explosive moments, comparisons to Perry Farrell's melodic snarls are inevitable, and the heavy use of delay and other vocal effects nods to Jane's Addiction's 1988 classic Nothing's Shocking. Conversely, the hooky "Seein' Stars" sounds like the Police filtered through a glassy Cocteau Twins sheen. Even within songs that at first seem like straight-ahead melodic hardcore bangers, surprises abound, like the majestic tribal drums and synth line in the latter half of "Sole" or the horn line in "Dreaming." Never Enough is a deliberately more synth-driven and effects-heavy album than Turnstile's previous output, yet it feels just as vital and gutsy because of how it plays with the mix. Bookended by the rousing title track and radiant "Magic Man," it's a success from start to finish, offering a deft blend of surprise and satisfaction. A1 Never Enough 4:47A2 Sole 3:25A3 I Care 3:53A4 Dreaming 2:36A5 Light Design 2:10A6 Dull 2:19A7 Sunshower 3:40B1 Look Out For Me 6:44B2 Ceiling 1:13B3 Seein' Stars 3:07B4 Birds 2:22B5 Slowdive 3:33B6 Time Is Happening 2:07B7 Magic Man 3:14
