Album Review: Turnstile – Glow On

Abduction by punk rock aliens

Turnstile returns in a spaced-out, dreamy version of their classic alt-rock sound. Reflective of the album cover, Glow On is a cascade of fluttering clouds amongst an ambient pink sky with the ability to warp into a thrashing thunderstorm of rage in the switch of a beat. The album maneuvers through a range of musical detours, including punk, dreampop, hip-hop and more.

Glow On features a reoccurring, ethereal synth line, introduced in “MYSTERY.” It sounds like an alien spacecraft hovering above. It’s hypnotic, as if lulling listeners to approach closer before beaming us into a new frontier of aggressive guitar riffs, visceral drumming and the screaming rage of lyrics like “I believe in holding on to life, but I’m afraid to.”

The album fluctuates through pulp-fueled bangers, each their deviation of influences. “BLACKOUT” features a fluttering, sleek guitar hook that effortlessly glides above a spiking beat, while “DON’T PLAY” incorporates piano keys with blissful levity. It sounds like a car cutting through traffic, maneuvering through avenues to cheat the ETA—reminiscent of retro PS1 racing games: the sentiment of an engine roaring as speed hits 120, over the screeching pull of wheels traversing through sharp turns on a freeway.

“UNDERWATER BOI” sparkles with rich, translucent guitar chords, floating through layers of reverb. The lush, uncompromised detachment of each strum comes out chilling, echoing through a land of vacant shorelines and crashing waves. A warm, indie-rock drum beat is layered over and the track sounds like the aliens on vacation, shredding through glistening waves on extraterrestrial surfboards—a breath of fresh ocean air.

“HOLIDAY” creeps with the tension of restless hi-hats and bubbling percussion before an aggressive release of lyrics: “I can never feel the cold.” The line carries the sentiment of drowning out one’s suffering with an outburst of proclamation against it. Another lyric, “I can sail with no direction,” fuels a path of rebellion, breaking free from systematic oppression. These lines epitomize much of why people gravitate towards hardcore music—the appeal of encouraging listeners to take a step back and mosh away their problems. The pain can’t catch up to you if you thrash hard enough.

“ALIEN LOVE CALL” is a psychedelic-infused haze of night-star gazing, navigating through a cold emptiness but never quite succumbing to it. The harmony between seductively spaced-out guitar chords and a heart-thumping beat feels like the aliens beckoning listeners to another world. As a feature, Blood Orange’s lethargic delivery of lines like “Locked inside my heart, floating in the dark,” over the plucking away of reverb-filled guitar strings, carry a heavy amount of Trent Lane energy—late nights staring at the ceiling fan, channeling one’s existential dread through music, in an attempt to process the emotions inherent with our human condition. We’re all just aliens, trying our best to express our inner feelings amongst isolation. Blood Orange’s voice echoes into oblivion as a wall of cycling synths sputter onwards.

As “WILD WORLD” and “DANCE-OFF” channel vigorous hardcore energy, “NEW HEART DESIGN” finds a beachy middle ground of wavy, plucking strums and tidal, striking riffs before fluctuating into a pillowy beat. “T.L.C. (TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION)” achieves a similar blend of sounds as Turnstile mercurially shifts from heavy drumming over shouting demands for “A little T.L.C. for me,” to a fizzy lo-fi beat of appreciation—”I want to thank you for letting me be myself.”

Turnstile’s vocals echo amongst hefty guitar riffs and an unrestrained drum stampede in the closer track “LONELY DEZIRES.” It sounds like trying to speak in the middle of a busy street, lost and calling out for anyone who can hear over the noise. Shifting guitar strums carry the vocals away until they’re both consumed by the motif of spacey synths. As the drumming grows quieter, it feels like listeners are in the heart of the storm. Lost, but finally with some semblance of peace.

Glow On shifts the bar of alt-rock to a new field, experimenting with an unconventional blend of sounds that reach a dreamy duality between tranquility and rage. The balance between sugary and jarring is the musical equivalent of pop rock candy, a crackling explosion of sugary bliss for the ears.