2025, a year in which technology has reached levels we never could’ve imagined—just like racism, discrimination, and social exhaustion, not only in Mexico but across the entire world. In the midst of chaos, there are refreshing sparks of light in the arts, among them the surprise we felt when listening to Turnstile’s Never Enough for the first time.
And it’s because today’s social context and the easy access to information have made us more open, yet more selective at the same time. Taking this into account, Turnstile had the courage to create an album that uses Hardcore Punk as its foundation and intelligently blends it with elements of Alternative Rock in general, resulting in a very enjoyable work whose chaotic moments are softened with vanilla-colored warmth.
Personally, we had never heard an album like this before, and we’ll say this upfront: it’s not for purists.
What can we listen to?
In general, it’s a sound we are completely certain will be replicated by many bands of future generations—artists who, without fear, will try to take genres from extreme music and soften them without losing energy. Music for everyone, including children, just as we saw in their iconic free concert at Wyman Park Dell in Baltimore.
Three songs that, from our point of view, represent this mix of genres are “Sunshower” (or also “Time is Happening”), which showcase the punk side of the album; “Seein’ Stars,” with its indie/pop sound; and “Never Enough,” which combines the best of both worlds mentioned above.
But that’s not all—the presence of electronic music can also be heard in “Look Out For Me,” a song where we love the dreamy ’80s tone of the guitars at the beginning, concluding with an unexpected electronic-beat outro that resolves the chaos of the masses with a very pleasant breath of fresh air.
We can hear something similar in “Dull,” but taken to a much more aggressive level, even featuring a guitar solo amid the chaos; in this case, the outro leans more toward experimentation with effects, yet without losing the electronic touch.
Turnstile: The Chemistry You Can Hear in the Band
There are no displays of virtuosity or individualism here—Turnstile is a fully formed band, with a strong personality onstage (even in the way they dress, especially guitarist Meg Mills).
However, we can highlight the new elements in Brendan Yates’ vocals, as he incorporates a more relaxed and melodic approach in tracks like “Seein’ Stars,” which contrasts with the sheer energy of songs like “Birds.” In fact, the video for this track pays a tremendous homage to Jimi Hendrix’s performance at Woodstock 1970. This is also the most Hardcore song on the entire album—a full declaration of principles in all its glory.
The breathing space throughout the record makes this album something different, even charming, with those moments of relaxation featuring synthesizers, as heard in the interlude “Ceiling” or in the final track “Magic Man,” which leaves us anticipating a similar body of work in the near future.
Never Enough: The Blue Shade of Hardcore
Never Enough by Turnstile is fully represented by its cover art—an abstraction in light tones, with flashes of joy, brutality, and energy. Real instruments, real tones without overproduction, real lyrics… simply a work that was fair and necessary for a 2025 filled with false expectations and political lies.
Musically, we highlight the effort put into achieving a truly organic production in a world where some rock bands (and especially metal bands) tend to rely too heavily on triggers, digital amps, and over-editing.
Turnstile is for rockers, for indie kids, for the young, the old, and the children… Turnstile is for the people.
