Turnstile's 'Generator' Is A Psychedelic-Hardcore Head Rush

Enlarge this image toggle caption Jimmy Fontaine/Courtesy of the artist Jimmy Fontaine/Courtesy of the artist

Turnstile's brand of turnt-up hardcore is a strange marvel. It is at once a mishmash of the most distinct mosh jams of the '90s — think Snapcase and Rage Against The Machine — and a splatter of Bad Brains-y dub and swirling post-punk, resulting in a psychedelic head rush of heavy. This is music that explodes the most outsized tropes of hardcore, but with a big dang heart.

The band — with roots in D.C., Baltimore and Columbus, Ohio — today announces a new album, Time & Space, its debut for Roadrunner Records. Turnstile has always been up front about its wide-ranging tastes and finding ways to (literally) amplify them, and these guest spots should give you some idea of what we're in for: Sheer Mag's Tina Halladay ("Moon"), Tanikka Charraé ("Bomb") and extra production from Diplo ("Right To Be"). I am already moshing.

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As a follow-up to the Sun-Ra-meets-Holy-Mountain video for "Real Thing" in early November, the first single for Time & Space really Voltrons the hell out of a pop-hardcore mega thruster. What begins as meaty, mid-tempo thrash riff finds flirty-but-disbelieving uh-huh's responding to Brendan Yates' shouted "gotta make my own way," interlocking into a boom-bap-flange-turned-pop-punk bop complete with hand claps and over-the-top guitar shred. (Deep breath.) There's a lot to unpack in any one moment. But, as Yates tells NPR, it's bound by a theme: "'Generator' is about near-death experiences; out-of-body happenings that really open you up to see your true self without the noise of the world."

Time & Space comes out Feb. 23 via Roadrunner Records. Turnstile goes on tour in early 2018. Track list and artwork below:

1. "Real Thing"

2. "Big Smile"

3. "Generator"

4. "Bomb"

5. "I Don't Wanna Be Blind"

6. "High Pressure"

7. "(Lost Another) Piece Of My World"

8. "Can't Get Away"

9. "Moon"

10. "Come Back For More / H.O.Y."

11. "Right To Be"

12. "Disco"

13. "Time + Space"