Turnstile – Time & Space

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It’s not until the final track that Turnstile reveals a mission statement of sorts on their second album, (and major label debut) Time & Space – a digitized voice explains, “We will dilute the distinction between time and space” – but if you were paying attention in the 25 minutes prior you already knew that the band set out to blur the lines on what hardcore music can be. The record’s third track, “Generator,” essentially dares you to stick with it by unleashing a bridge drenched in an acidic haze before transitioning into the jazzy waltz of “Bomb,” a 25-second featuring vocals from Tanikka Charraé. So less than 6 minutes in, you’re either in or you’re out (even indirectly calling it out on the former track – lyrics like “Don’t waste my time,” and “Gotta go my own way” serve as the song’s rallying cry of sorts) as the Baltimore quintet only delves further into the weirdness.

There’s a full embrace of the band’s psychedelic tendencies on Time & Space – the aforementioned “Generator” is the biggest example but the spacey intro of “I Don’t Wanna Be Blind” leads into a seamless fusion of funk and hardcore, sparked by the band’s incredible rhythm section of bassist Franz Lyons and drummer Daniel Fang. This record is clearly the best production work of Will Yip’s career, as the non-stop riffs from guitarists Brady Ebert and Pat McCrory rip throughout (“(Lost Another) Piece of My World” and “Come Back For More/H.O.Y.” showcase some of the band’s tastiest riffs yet), flawlessly transitioning between raucous punk and sludgy hardcore.

Time & Space will undoubtedly be one of the more ambitious releases this year, redefining what a hardcore record can aspire to be in 2018. In less than 26 minutes, Turnstile throws in as many tempo changes and genre influences into the blender (the controlled chaos of “Right To Be” features additional production from mega-producer Diplo, “Can’t Get Away” unleashes some gnarly surf rock vibes within its bridge, and vibrant opener “Real Thing” is classic hardcore tinged with ’90’s alt), with the pummeling “High Pressure” being the most fun, peppered with frantic keyboard wallops in the vein of W.K.

Of course Turnstile still packs in plenty of pit-movers – the soaring intensity of “Big Smile” along with the breathless pace of the title track are prime cuts – as Brendan Yates’ deliberate yelps take center stage. However, the album’s most memorable moment exchanges Yates’ howl for Lyons’ silky croon on the dazzling “Moon.” Lyons’ vocals conjure the spirit of Living Colour’s Corey Glover and with some help from Sheer Mag’s Tina Halladay, they form some of the most soulful harmonies of the year over the song’s pulsating pop-punk vibe.

I’m not here to chronicle the spotty history of hardcore bands signing to major labels (there are much better writers out there who’ve already done that) because the label doesn’t really matter when it comes to Time & Space’s release. I’m sure the resources a major can offer is something the band won’t take for granted (as it allowed the band to record in Yip’s Studio 4 for an entire month) but it’s crystal clear that being on a Roadrunner wasn’t going to dictate the type of record Turnstile was going to create – a smorgasbord of everything that makes rock and roll music so fucking invigorating. Time & Space is a thirteen-track odyssey filled with relentless peaks and groovy valleys, making it one of the boldest records to ever emerge from the hardcore genre.

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