Turnstile, originating from Baltimore, Maryland, is a hardcore band that surpasses the boundaries of their respected genre by blending elements from other styles into their sound. Consisting of Brendan Yates (lead vocal), Pat McCrory (Lead Guitar), Meg Mills (Rhythm Guitar), 'Freaky' Franz Lyons (Bass), and Daniel Fang (Drums), although there are several changes within the band's guitarists such as Sean "Coo" Cullen (Rhythm Guitar) from 2010-2016, and Brady Ebert (Lead Guitar) from 2010-2022, the band has built a reputation for their energetic live performances. The band has achieved global recognition, earning Grammy nominations, critical acclaim from Pitchfork, and appearances at major mainstream festivals. Their commercial success came with the release of their third album, Glow On (2021), featuring songs such as "Holiday" and "Blackout" that earned three nominations at the 65th Grammy Awards. Glow On not only marked their career turning point, but also demonstrated how hardcore music can transcend cultural boundaries through genre-blending, collaboration, and emotional range.
To understand Glow On, we will have to take a closer look at the hardcore scene because it is vital as to why this album represents such a turning point for the band. Hardcore, also known as hardcore punk is a subgenre of punk rock that first emerged in the late 1970s America, thriving in cities like Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, and was created as a form of resistance towards commercialism and the mainstream. Hardcore punk first emerged as a rejection of punk's stagnancy and shift toward the mainstream industry (Martin n.d.). Hardcore songs typically talk about politics as they are known to be politically aware, however it is not fully in a "politic sense" as they would also address issues such as social issues, resistance, and personal struggle, expressing the frustration, energy, and struggle of the youth. Some notable key bands that helped initiate and shape the hardcore punk genre and community include Black Flag, Bad Brains, and Minor Threat, defining the spirit and energy of the scene (Cooper 2019).
As a scene, hardcore embodies a range of cultural practices and values which are still visible in the scene today. Mosh pits, stage diving, and DIY shows are some of the practices that shape the identity of hardcore culture. Through mosh pits and stage diving, the interaction between the audience and the performers can be seen as a collapse of barriers, which on a personal level, becomes an act of giving and taking energy that creates an atmosphere of intensity. While DIY shows are usually organized by the community and may seem small in scale, they have this sense of intimacy which can be seen as a supportive act within the scene. Despite their chaotic appearance, mosh pits, from what I've seen myself symbolizes solidarity rather than hostility, empathy within the chaos, where participants of the mosh pits that fell will immediately be helped by others, often hugging and checking to make sure if they are alright or not.
By being rooted in 1970s American punk, Turnstile follows and expands this blueprint, showing how a genre can connect across cultures through their album Glow On. The band blends hardcore with elements from other genres such as soul, electronica, and psychedelia, producing a sound that can connect listeners from outside of traditional hardcore scene (McMahon 2021). To achieve this, Turnstile collaborated with Dev Hynes, also known as Blood Orange, an R&B and electronica musician, creating the track "Alien Love Call". By combining these different styles, the aggressive guitar riffs yet raw sound of hardcore transforms into something that is accessible to wider audiences due to its melodic and emotional layers, something emotional and introspective. Other aspects that are worth to mention that helped tighten their success is the use of colourful visual aesthetics and energetic stage presence in every performance they had done.
Before the release of Glow On, around the year 2010-2015, Turnstile had played in a small gig, usually DIY hardcore shows, basement gigs, and sometimes in a small venue, the typical hardcore gigs. Then when they release the album Time & Space in 2018, they started breaking out of the underground venue but still mostly played in a medium sized venue, with growing audiences, although the majority of them are from the hardcore and punk scene. However, after the release of Glow On in 2021, their popularity spiked, earning attention from listeners outside of the hardcore scene both commercially and culturally. From many live recordings of their performance, it can be seen that their shows have grown significantly larger than before and a more diverse crowd that extends beyond the traditional hardcore scene. To help support the release of the album, they expand their visual production by making it brighter, colourful, and aesthetically pleasing to attract a wider audience, showing how hardcore can still be as energetic as ever without losing its iconic spirit.
Listening to Glow On, it becomes clear how Turnstile manages to turn hardcore's intensity into something that is far more approachable for wider listeners, beyond its culture and scene. By blending and collaborating with other musicians from different genre backgrounds, Turnstile proves that hardcore can exist alongside other genres without losing its identity. Through songs like "Blackout" and "Underwater Boi", they create a melodic balance between the aggressive hardcore riffs, dreamlike choruses, and the synth layer. Turnstile have stepped up their game by being experimental, exploring new layers and emotional depth by evoking emotion through sound, creating a 35-minute album that is engaging, ambitious, and effortlessly laid-back (Law 2021). On a personal level, the first time I discover Turnstile and the whole hardcore genre and scene was through this album, Glow On, which later encouraged me to explore other genres that shared the same intensity.
Turnstile's Glow On album not only opened a door into a musical world but also showed how innovation can coexist with authenticity. It is a proof that hardcore punk can evolve without abandoning its roots. Once a genre that was built on resistance, aggression, and underground values, hardcore has now found new ways to express those same ideals through Turnstile's sound. The way they blend intense aggression with soft melodies are like combining chaos with beauty, and it shows how a genre that was once confined within the underground scene can transcend its boundaries and reach global audiences. The success of Turnstile does not come from abandoning their hardcore roots or the principles of hardcore, but through reinterpreting and innovating it to something that still maintain its energy, community, authenticity, and essence that defines the culture while reimagining how it can sound and look.
Turnstile's journey went all the way from small basement gigs and DIY shows to massive stages that could fit thousands of people, resonating with a global audience without losing its authenticity. Their new sound serves as a reflection of how hardcore as a genre can grow beyond its underground roots while still preserving the same energy and community that built it. All of this wouldn't have happened if Turnstile never tried to transcend their sound, and just like the title of their song "Turnstile Love Connection", their music became exactly that, building a connection with new people through love and chaos all under the hardcore genre.
REFERENCES
Britannica. (n.d.), Hardcore punk. In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved October 2, 2025 from https://www.britannica.com/art/hardcore-punk Â
LiveAbout. (2019), The history of hardcore punk music. In LiveAbout. Retrieved October 2, 2025 from https://www.liveabout.com/hardcore-punk-music-2803394
