Past cutesy album artwork where baby-blue sky and double rainbows meet, Turnstile — after some hiatus — have fabulously fused post-hardcore with pop, maybe more so than ever before…

This sub-genre of hardcore punk has all the DIY ethics and raw emotion you’d expect of a rock band’s output, but with more experimental complexities. Distorted guitars across textured layers of ambient melodies and vocals make what Turnstile have pulled off here on ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ so, so good. And with shifts that make their dynamic structures work, you get a bit of sonic whimsy bundled in for maximum listening joy. Spoiler alert: that’s just what you’re in for.

The very dreamy title track and opener, ‘NEVER ENOUGH’, is complemented by the much heavier, drum-led yet super-riffy ‘SOLE’ that comes afterwards — a straight juxtaposition to ignite proceedings. ‘I CARE’ then follows, delivering an indie-pop beat for the first time on this new album, ahead of the punchier ‘DREAMING’. At this point, you begin wondering if they’ve deliberately curated an alternation between slower bops and scuzzier rock jams. But I’m here for it. And the same goes for the whopping, jumpy genre combo on ‘DULL’. It’s like OG Turnstile entered the room, and I’m confident in positing this might be my fave. Even only this far through.

That said, I’m pretty excited about the riotous drumming on ‘SUNSHOWER’, which closes with these endearing, Asian-style pan flute notes — and are just as hooking a feature as the ‘80s-esque guitars on ‘LOOK OUT FOR ME’. Where the beach-club grooves fade it out, the slowly shelving, desert-isle vibes of ‘CEILING’ commence. This short, virtually intermission-like track extends a hand that’s filled with calmness. 

Another jangly ‘80s banger comes in the form of the already released and oh-so-catchy ‘SEEIN’ STARS’ — another one that’s up there for me. Sharing my favourite choices here? The rough-and-ready ‘BIRDS’ and ‘SLOWDIVE’ will get the moshers’ votes. 

I’ve mentioned before that they’ve got tempo-twisting and genre-bending down to a fine art, and ‘TIME IS HAPPENING’ is no exception to that statement. What begins softer becomes pacier; a bit Blink-182, if you will. Then Turnstile cleverly manage to turn down the volume on all the commotion, by drawing it all to a close with ‘MAGIC MAN’. 

In short summation, this is summer-playlist fodder for the rockers, and it’s got me mentally packing for my next holiday. 

If you only download one track, let it be: ‘DULL’