When you hear the term “hardcore punk,” what do you think of? Maybe guttural vocals, smashed guitars, or violent lyrics. But what you most likely don’t think of is rainbows, synthesizers, and lyrics about finding yourself. That dichotomy is pivotal to the appeal behind the band Turnstile. This Baltimore born band has gotten a surge of critical and public acclaim following the release of their third album, GLOW ON, and their subsequent 2025 release NEVER ENOUGH.
Their sound, which is adaptable despite the often rigid definition of “punk,” balances more aggressive moments with more reflective ones. Catchy hooks dance with pummeling riffs in a way that challenges the limits of their genre. When the band won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance last month, the conversation around what box the band fits into was reignited. The song that won the award, ‘BIRDS,’ is one of the most aggressive tracks on their recent album, but many feel like that track was only chosen due to the band’s mainstream appeal when compared to other hardcore/metal acts.
As the star of the band grows bigger and bigger, their humble beginnings seem farther and farther away. But those beginnings are at the core of the heart that makes up Turnstile.
Starting Off Small
“I’m not your average
I’m not your ordinary,”
These are lyrics from what is considered to be the band’s first song, ‘The Things You Do,’ from their first EP, Pressure to Succeed, in 2011. As the band broke out in the Baltimore hardcore scene, those words seemed to be true.
Inspired by the local punk bands of their hometown, the band’s future singer Brendan Yates and his neighbor and guitarist, Brady Ebert, would play together in his basement. The two Montgomery County natives would later bring their music to the neighboring Baltimore, where they became enthralled with the kinetic energy of the city’s hardcore scene. However, that energy tended to be more intimate than intimidating, as the shows they would see often fostered a sense of community with the people they experienced the music with.
Before Turnstile, Yates would drum for a band called Trapped Under Ice, with a mentor of his, Justin Trapp. The band represented a more traditional and more aggressive side of the genre, inspiring Yates and Ebert. So, after touring with Trapped Under Ice, they started their own band, Turnstile, in 2010. This original line up also had drummer Daniel Fang, a friend of Yates’ from college, bassist Franz Lyons, a friend of Trapped Under Ice, and guitarist Sean Cullen.
The band already had buzz surrounding them after their first EP, with its unpolished yet energetic sound capturing the Baltimore hardcore scene. It also caught on for a more unique reason: its lyrics. Yates, in a style of vocals that is closer to yelling than singing, expresses his feelings of insecurity.
One of the most impactful lyrics of the release for me is “I shot down my own dreams to avoid the pressure to succeed,” which reflects on Yates’ fears of failure surrounding his music. This level of vulnerability with the band’s audience from the start gave every show a personal feel and ultimately helped cultivate a tight-knit fan base.
Their second EP, Step 2 Rhythm, continued to ride the momentum captured by their first project, with its sound and lyrical themes mostly being in line with Pressure to Succeed. Though at times, the EP can be more upbeat and rhythmic than the music that inspired it, with tracks like the instrumental ‘7’ and the title track utilizing engaging and colorful riffs.
Turnstile’s debut album, Nonstop Feeling, would come on January 13th, 2015, via Reaper Records. The LP would see the band expand their sound throughout the whole album, not just on a few tracks. More than anything, the album has a fun, summery vibe, while also being more polished than their previous work. Instrumentals like ‘Bleach Temple’ and ‘Love Lasso’ lean into the more fun side of hardcore, and wouldn’t be out of place on an alt-rock band’s record. Simmering anger on tracks like ‘Out of Rage’ is balanced by heartsick longing on ‘Blue By You.’
The band’s debut sold 1,100 copies in its first week and was supported by an East and West Coast tour. As they kept making waves in the scene, their stardom would only continue to grow.
Finding Their Glow
“But can I keep it all together?
Waiting for the real thing?”
One year after they released their first album, Turnstile signed to the Dutch-born rock label Roadrunner Records, a division of Warner Music Group. 2016 also brought another change for the band in the replacement of Sean Cullen with Pat McCrory, a friend of Yates from university, in their lineup.
Time & Space, their major label debut, released on February 23rd, 2018. The album ups the ante in nearly every way compared to their previous work by adding new influences to their sound, like R&B and hip-hop. This can be seen in the interludes ‘Disco’ and ‘Bomb,’ as well as in the single ‘Generator.’
The lead single, ‘Real Thing,’ starts the album off with high energy and a catchy riff that’s almost impossible to not nod your head to. All the while, Yates sings about, as he puts it, “the idea of happiness being made up in the imagination.” Throughout the album, the band also shows willingness to switch up who holds the mic, as their bassist, Franz Lyons, has vocal credits on ‘Moon’ and ‘Generator.’
The album debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. To support the album, they toured throughout the U.S., as well as in Europe, Southeast Asia, and South Korea.
Following the conclusion of the tour in 2019, the band paused work on new music, except for the Share A View EP, which the band released in collaboration with the producer Mall Grab, a release that reworked a few tracks from their latest record.
Their next recording cycle would start in the summer of 2020, kicked off by the release of the LP’s lead single: ‘MYSTERY,’ a short yet fulfilling track that introduces listeners to a Turnstile that’s more reflective, as the lyrics center on finding fulfillment in life. The single was accompanied by the EP TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION on June 27th, 2021, which featured two more tracks from the upcoming album, as well as another single, ‘HOLIDAY.’
Turnstile released GLOW ON on August 27th of the same year. The album cover, with fluffy clouds behind a bubblegum pink background, hinted that the band would be willing to bring a calmer approach to their music at times throughout the record. This proved to be true with songs like ‘ALIEN LOVE CALL,’ which serves as a standout on the album for its entrancing atmosphere that makes the listener feel like they’re in another world. This more relaxed sound is also apparent on songs like ‘UNDERWATER BOI,’ which has a riff that’s primed for a beach day.
High-energy moments fit for a concert are still abundant, though. One of my favorites, ‘BLACKOUT,’ speaks to how their music affects people and has an infectious energy throughout the song, from the vocals to the bass. Yates sings, “And if it makes you feel alive / Well then I’m happy I provide,” over a chorus that lives up to those lyrics.
More so than their previous albums, GLOW ON received widespread acclaim, and earned them 3 Grammy nominations: Best Rock Song & Metal Performance for ‘BLACKOUT,’ and Best Rock Performance for ‘HOLIDAY.’ It debuted at #30 on the Billboard Top 200, making it their first album to do so. The band didn’t rest on their laurels after all this praise, though, as they supported artists such as My Chemical Romance and Blink-182 in 2022 and 2023, respectively, before touring throughout the U.K. and Latin America in 2024.
All the while, their stardom continued to rise as their surge in popularity brought hardcore into the mainstream. More people were finding out about their music for the first time through GLOW ON, and their fanbase had never been bigger. Numerous publications were talking about the little hardcore band that could, and the band became popular enough to get a Converse collaboration released in January 2021. However, some would argue that this popularity went against everything that the band’s scene stood for.
Authenticity in Punk
“Giving more than I can take
But don’t you take my thrill away,”
The origins of hardcore punk music go back to the early 1980s. This extreme version of punk caught on in places like Washington D.C., San Francisco, and Boston. It stood out from punk rock in its aggression and its speed. Similar to punk rock, lyrics stemming from the genre were often politically charged, and the whole genre had a D.I.Y. ethos.
Baltimore’s hardcore scene, while sometimes overlooked compared to that of other areas, has been around since the genre’s inception. Bands like Gut Instinct, Stout, and Next Step Up laid the groundwork for the scene in the 80s and 90s. And in the early days of Turnstile’s inception, they proved to be cut from the same cloth as some of those bands. But as the band has changed their sound, many purists of the genre have argued that they can no longer be considered hardcore. Their newfound colorful yet energetic aesthetic clashes with many preconceived notions of the genre’s darker themes and energies.
Authenticity is a very important topic in punk subculture. So-called “posers” are often excluded from punk communities, and any general affiliation with the mainstream can be looked down upon. These accusations have sprung up for Turnstile as of late, with people criticizing their new sound and mainstream leanings.
There’s something to be said about how this kind of experimentation can benefit the genre, though. The band’s broader appeal can introduce hardcore to people who normally wouldn’t be exposed to the genre, like myself. From the band’s point of view, “Anytime you put out something new, you lose a bunch of people… You just kind of embrace it,” Yates said in an interview with Matthew Schnipper of The New York Times last year.
A Long Way to Go
“Finally I can see it
These birds not meant to fly alone,”
Around a year after the release of GLOW ON, it was announced that founding member of Turnstile, Brady Ebert, had left the band. While the split hasn’t necessarily been as amicable as it initially appeared, it hasn’t slowed down the band when it comes to their music.
Last year, they teased their latest album by dropping the title track, ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ on April 8th, 2025. It features an arena ready hook with lyrics that center around fighting off self doubt, and letting other people in. It also introduces a juxtaposition that will pop up throughout the album; the usage of synthesizers and electronic elements, more so than any of their previous records. The implementation, especially on the title track, represents a band that is willing to sit and reflect.
When the album proper was released on June 6th, 2026, accompanied by a visual album that was released a day before, the band received both critical acclaim and criticism once more for their willingness to switch up their sound. Different sounds are played with throughout, like the bombastic horns on ‘DREAMING,’ the extended dancebeat of ‘LOOK OUT FOR ME,’ and the radio-friendly pop punk of ‘I CARE.’
But the band still knows how to lean into their roots. On ‘BIRDS,’ the simmering intro quickly turns into a chaotic energy that is a reminder of how their music affects people. It represents the ethos of the band: bringing people together and being a space for self expression.
NEVER ENOUGH debuted at #9 on the Billboard Hot 200, topped the Top Hard Rock Albums chart, and peaked at #2 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart. Along with ‘BIRDS’ winning for Best Metal Performance at the Grammys this past February, NEVER ENOUGH won Best Rock Album as well.
When the band began touring to promote the album, they did so with a new member, Meg Mills, who started out as a touring musician in 2023 before officially joining the band as rhythm guitarist in 2025. While not a Baltimore native like the rest of the band, as a fan of them before joining, she understands their sound.
Hardcore shows are often known for kicking and stage diving, and Turnstile shows are no exception. When speaking about the more physical side of hardcore music, Yates had this to say in an article with Lydia Woolever at Baltimore Magazine from last year. “Throwing your body off a stage…You feel this trust that you can just fly, and that you will be caught.”
There’s something to be said about how this kind of experimentation can benefit the genre, though. The band’s broader appeal can introduce hardcore to people who normally wouldn’t be exposed to the genre, like myself.