Turnstile turned it down — somewhat, anyway — when the ultrahot Baltimore-based hardcore punk band recently played their own Tiny Desk (Home) Concert for NPR Music. The group’s 7-song set for the video series emerged on Wednesday (Jan. 5).
Surrounded by stuffed animals in front of a backdrop draped in them, Turnstile gave Tiny Desk uniquely subdued versions of songs from their latest, last year’s GLOW ON. The set was filmed by Sunny Singh, the videographer behind concert archive hate5six.
Watch the video down toward the bottom of this post.
NPR’s Lars Gotrich said of the performance, “‘Mystery’ is transformed into a Fender Rhodes ballad before launching into “T.L.C. (Turnstile Love Connection).” … These songs from GLOW ON, in particular, tug at loneliness and uncertainty, but Turnstile offers a reprieve before we jump back into the pit of life.”
Loudwire selected GLOW ON as the third best rock and metal album of 2021. The effort’s “Holiday,” first issued on June’s Turnstile Love Connection EP, is one of Loudwire’s best 2021 rock songs.
Around the time of GLOW ON‘s release in 2021, Turnstile vocalist Brendan Yates spoke to The Fader about the group’s knack for mixing fairly unusual-for-punk sounds and textures in with their hardcore.
“Putting them all together automatically creates a roller coaster of ups and downs and different things,” Yates explained, “which I think is always something that we try to create when making music.”
He continued, “Feeling and experiencing music or just feeling things as a person, there’s always more dimensions to it than just a one dimensional thing. I think it’s something that’s always intended to make sure that there’s those dynamics and those things that we’re trying to get across are all included in there and can be felt as a bigger picture thing.”
Get Turnstile tour dates at turnstilehardcore.com.
Turnstile, NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
Turnstile Tiny Desk Setlist
1. “Endless”
2. “Underwater Boi”
3. “Blackout”
4. “Don’t Play”
5. “Mystery”
6. “T.L.C. (Turnstile Love Connection)”
7. “Alien Love Call”
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