Artist Spotlight: Turnstile turns hardcore punk into mainstream music
Ahead of their upcoming album “Never Enough,” the band is spinning on all cylinders and rising in popularity amongst a diverse crowd.
By Michael Doyle
Turnstile was founded by Frontman Brendan Yates, Drummer Daniel Fang, Bassist “Freaky” Franz Lyons, Guitarists Brady Ebert and Sean “Coo” Cullen. It evolved from pure hardcore punk to a melodic and equally bold subgenre of hardcore punk frequently called melodic hardcore.
Originating from Baltimore, Maryland, the band formed in 2010 out of the local hardcore scene.
In its early years, the band released EPs “Pressure to Succeed” in 2011, “Step 2 Rhythm” in 2013 and their debut album “Nonstop Feeling” in 2015. They toured along the East Coast and West Coast with alternative rock bands Superheaven and New Found Glory as they began to spread across the country. After 15 years since their formation, Turnstile’s sound has matured alongside the members of the band, frequently switching between alternative rock, hardcore and dream-pop over each song.
What hasn’t changed about the band is the meticulous level of emotion in their sound.
Following their tours, the band parted ways with guitarist Cullen and welcomed Pat McCrory of Maryland’s hardcore band Angel Du$t as the new guitarist. In 2016, the band released their third EP “Move Thru Me,” which charted on both the Billboard Heatseekers and Hard Rock Albums charts.
Turnstile soon signed to legendary major alternative label Roadrunner Records, where they would release their high energy second album “Time & Space” in 2018. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard Heatseekers chart, with the single “I Don’t Wanna Be Blind” being featured in the WWE 2K22 video game. The band toured across the U.S., Europe and Asia in promotion of the album, continuing to bring hardcore to the masses.
Just when Turnstile was on the cusp of worldwide success, the COVID lockdown shut everything down. The band quarantined together and spent day and night working on writing and recording new music that would ultimately become their breakthrough album “Glow On.”
This 15-track album reached number 30 on the Billboard 200 with the combined hardcore punk’s violent guitars screaming on tracks like “Holiday.” The album also features melodic reverb on tracks like “Blackout.”
Both songs earned the band nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance, Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance. Additionally, “Glow On” saw Turnstile featured in a Taco Bell commercial in 2023 and WWE 2K24. The album gave them the opportunity to open for major bands Blink-182 and My Chemical Romance, allowing them to harness global success.
The band parted ways with founding guitarist Brady Elbert in 2022, instead welcoming Meg Mills of British hardcore’s Big Cheese. Continuing their mainstream appeal, the band collaborated with Converse to put their spin on two classic silhouettes, in what was a full circle moment between the hardcore band and iconic alternative shoe company.
In March of this year, a billboard appeared on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, seemingly announcing the name and date of a new album, “Never Enough” to be released June 6. The singles and accompanying music videos for “Never Enough,” “Seein’ Stars” and “Birds” were both released by the end of April, highlighting the band’s continued combination of brash and melodic songs.
At this year’s Coachella Festival, Turnstile got a major endorsement despite not being present. Charli XCX, who dominated Summer 2024 with brat summer, claimed that Summer 2025 will be Turnstile summer.
On May 10, Turnstile played their first show in nearly a year, a free benefit concert at Wyman Park Dell in Baltimore that raised $35,000 for Baltimore’s Health Care for the Homeless. The show brought out a diverse crowd ranging from stage-diving punks to passerby parents coming in to see what was going on, presenting a unique opportunity uniting the local community where the band is from.
As Turnstile continues to rise, the band is strengthening their bond with fans. The attention is the latest example of alternative music breaking into mainstream, joining acts like Gojira, who played at the recent Olympic Games and Knocked Loose who performed on Saturday Night Live with Poppy.
The release of the band’s new album “Never Enough” is just weeks away and Turnstile has plenty of positive momentum going their way. While time will tell if it will truly be a Turnstile summer, any betting expert would probably say to put your money on it.
