Turnstile just threw the rulebook out the window — again. The Baltimore hardcore heroes have unleashed a double-shot of sonic exploration that’s already setting the music world ablaze, proving why they’re the band everyone from punk kids to pop stars can’t stop talking about.
Their latest offering arrives as two distinctly different tracks, packaged with the kind of artfully crafted music video that’ll probably end up in some film student’s thesis come 2025. “Seein’ Stars” floats through the speakers like some beautiful fever dream, with Turnstile pulling off what might be their most ambitious collaboration yet. The track features both Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes and Paramore’s Hayley Williams, creating something that shouldn’t work on paper but absolutely soars in practice.
Then there’s “Birds” — raw, untamed, and exactly what you’d expect from a band that cut their teeth in Baltimore’s sweaty basement shows. The contrast between these two tracks tells you everything you need to know about where Turnstile’s headed.
The accompanying visual piece — a joint effort between frontman Brendan Yates and guitarist Pat McCrory — feels like flipping through someone’s memories on fast-forward. The first half unfolds in dreamy reverse motion: dancers moving like they’re underwater, DJs lost in their own world, pool players frozen in time. But just when you’ve settled into its rhythm, “Birds” crashes through like a wrecking ball at a meditation retreat.
Speaking of visual poetry, there’s something almost ritualistic about the outdoor sequence accompanying “Birds.” Picture this: a sun-drenched hillside that wouldn’t look out of place in last year’s “Talk to Me,” while drummer Daniel Fang orchestrates what can only be described as organized chaos. Bodies collide, people smile, and somehow it all makes perfect sense.
These tracks serve as our first real taste of Never Enough, dropping June 6th — the band’s fourth full-length and their first since Glow On had Grammy voters scratching their heads trying to categorize it. This time around, Yates has stepped behind the production desk, suggesting we’re about to witness yet another evolution in the band’s sound.
What’s refreshing about Turnstile’s approach to success is how genuinely uninterested they seem in playing by anyone else’s rules. Yates said it best himself: “Music can reach people in so many different ways and different scales. The impact it can leave on someone is impossible to measure.”
The band’s got a packed summer ahead — kicking things off with a Brooklyn record release show on June 5th before hitting the festival circuit hard. From Primavera Sound to Glastonbury and Ottawa Blues, they’re about to be everywhere. Maybe Charli XCX was onto something at Coachella when she predicted a “Turnstile Summer.”
Based on these new releases, summer 2024 is shaping up to be equal parts mosh pit and meditation session. And honestly? That’s exactly what music needs right now.
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