Story by Mamie Lomax / Contributing Writer
It’s been a solid two year wait for Turnstile to drop a new LP, but this pulverizing assault of hardcore acme and integration of musical elements from circumambient genres was well worth the wait.
The inclusive quintet from Baltimore, alongside producer Will Yip—who also produced hardcore albums with bands such as Code Orange, La Dispute and Title Fight—devised an album that doesn’t stay within the lines of traditional hardcore music. But Turnstile doesn’t necessarily have to follow the “rules” of the hardcore genre, especially when their fluidity and flexibility have influenced others inside and out of the genre to branch out.
The first three tracks off the album, “Real Thing,” “Big Smile” and “Generator” are a reflection of the attitudes of “true” hardcore, but also stand as a transition from the band’s former sound of tingly punk rage toward a mix of thrash, pop-punk and garage-rock.
Guitarists Brady Ebert and Pat McCrory shine on this album, playing snarling and concise riffs throughout its progression, yet also supplying plenty of power chords, pickups and amp distortion — a standard in hardcore. However, the customary aspects of hardcore music disappear occasionally to make way for other interesting characteristics like subtle shoegaze riffs and flamboyant, almost psychedelic interludes.
“Time & Space” maintains a straight-edge flow for the most part, but throughout the album there are a number of laconic intermissions that drastically emphasize different musical facets such as lambent R&B from Tanikka Charraé on “Bomb,” soulful punk lullabies from Sheer Mag’s badass frontwoman Tina Halladay on “Moon” and almost careless DJ-esque elements from Duplo in “Right to Be.”
Overall, Turnstile introduced contemporary elements on “Time and Space” and seemed to create the acceptance of different components to their sound. The album stays legitimate to Turnstile’s hardcore roots but diversifies and experiments with other prospects of music such as Halladay’s punk-soul vibe and Duplo’s DJ blurbs. “Time & Space” is a relatively sublime follow-up to their first album, “Nonstop Feeling” and just begins to set the stage for a new evolution of hardcore music.
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This album is easily one of the best and most unique compilations of art and music to be released this year so far. Turnstile has always been one of the few bands to consistently do their own thing within the hardcore scene. Unlike their predecessor, Trapped Under Ice, Turnstile has consistently featured elements outside of hardcore and punk that have set them aside from plethora of other bands within the genre. This is more than likely directly linked to their insane amount of commercial success. Be it world tours to features in GQ magazine, Turnstile is completely one of a kind.
This album in particular, Time and Space, is arguably their best release thus far. In comparison to the two other EP’s and one prior LP, this album features extremely experimental and frankly, unexpected elements that I think give their aggressive, hardcore punk influences room to breath. This allows the listener to not be consistently bombarded by pummeling riffs and harsh vocals but rather, a tasteful change of pace throughout the release. Turnstile has definitely taken their time on this release, almost three years later from their last full-length record and it was quite obviously paid off. Just when I thought they couldn’t step their game up any further, they proved why their a force to be reckoned with in current popular music.