Sounds like…

Punk and dark noise rock collide.

The review

I’ve been really reconnecting with raw, angsty rage-fuelled uprising rock lately and that feeling encapsulates ‘Turnstiles’ and their debut self titled EP perfectly. The Irish alt-punk rockers cram so much explosive energy into their four tracks. It is a riotous ride that you’ll be fully on board with if you like your guitars loud and gargling.

Opening with ‘Something to Die For’, the cards are laid firmly on the table. From the rolling drums to the urgent guitar riffs to the spat vocal delivery – everything here has the punk two fingers vibe. The guitars mesh shoegazing walls of sound with a low gurgling noise tone that give the bass plenty of thump to it. The outro of the track is like the end of a stadium concert as they break into a frenzied finale. This urgency carries over to ‘Just Bleed’ with its disgusted putdown chorus hook and siren guitar wail. It is like the music itself is having a 999 moment.

That fullness of sound transfers over to the most catchy and immediate track on the EP – ‘Omniscient Delusion’. Here heavy chords smash the chorus whilst thick driving bass keeps the verse and bridge feeling fluid. Turnstiles have a sound that feels half demo scene and half vintage rock radio recording – but it is crisp not smudgy. It works so well as a mix and allows Turnstiles to let their melodies shine. Closing track ‘In A State’ concludes their highly politically EP with the most punk vocal delivery to date. Johnny Rotten would be proud. It also contains a real corker of a lyric that spoke to me ‘All cowboys forgotten – their superheroes now’. It really shines a light on the way how ‘the system’ celebrates that kind of behaviour.

Turnstiles absolutely smash it with their debut EP. Tightly woven, showcasing anarchy, chaos, passion and dissonance in anti-anthem after anti-anthem, its an alt-punk dream. Designed to be played loud and to roar too.

Recommended track: Omniscient Delusion

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