Turnstile are a five piece hardcore group from Baltimore, Maryland, who have been turning heads and grabbing a lot of curiosity since their debut EP Pressure To Succeed in 2011. This was then followed by their incredible second EP Step 2 Rhythm, which we reviewed shortly after its release and stated that it was ‘the most original and true to roots release’ in hardcore in recent years. Their live shows are also greatly becoming that of notoriety and underground legend in equal measure with their high energy and at times out of control performances, and this has all built up to this moment. Fast forward to 2015, and we have the long-awaited debut offering from Turnstile – Nonstop Feeling.
Nonstop Feeling contains 12 tracks of unashamed early 90’s crossover influenced hardcore tunes – in the vein of Leeway and Crown Of Thornz, which interestingly sounds starkly nostalgic yet sounds just as refreshing as anything else in hardcore music today. The production on this album is a little more refined and polished (if at times over produced) compared to their previous release Step 2 Rhythm, but it crosses production borders of being raw enough to credit its hardcore punk roots, whilst sounding clean enough to reach a whole other audience who are not necessarily taken by the underground that Turnstile have been born and bred from.
There are some absolute firestorms of tracks in this collection. Songs such as ‘Fazed Out’, ‘Can’t Deny It’, ‘Out Of Rage’, and album closer ‘Stress’ are a mixed bag of fury and diversity. There are even a couple of instrumental tracks on here in the presence of ‘Bleach Temple’ and ‘Love Lassoo’ which breathe a little air in between proceedings, but whether they actually compliment the album’s flow or are just merely but album filler leaves a matter of opinion. Bizarrely enough, the weaker moments on this album are that of its lead single ‘Drop’, and opener ‘Gravity’ – which is a fairly decent song, but the switch at the end of the tune is all too sudden, and just seems out of place.
Critically speaking, the albums content walks a fine line between repetition and innovation. For example, some of Brendan Yates vocal harmonies are very repetitive and follow the same vocal range on most songs. But on some songs he has some greater vocal performances – notably on the dreamy ‘Blue By You’, ‘Stress’, and ‘Out Of Rage’. Musically speaking, it is not pushing the boundaries by any means. But what Turnstile have in the process done is take the sound from early crossover hardcore (which divided many opinions) and implemented it with modern hardcore punk, and occasionally alternative rock.
Without a doubt Nonstop Feeling is one of the most anticipated hardcore releases of the year. It certainly grows on you over a few listens, but it sure has enough ‘original’ content to give new school hardcore audiences a history lesson, as well as providing a breath of fresh air in a frequently systematic music genre – and for that we should be extremely grateful.
