Turnstile attempts to have it both ways on Glow On, turning out songs that work as pummeling hardcore jams and as the post-genre vibes-first tracks beloved by their considerable Gen Z audience. That led to Glow On becoming one of the best-selling hardcore records in history. Still, the sparkling production and classicist songwriting only underscores the band’s devotion to the genre.

When artists try to branch out beyond the confines of the rigidly codified scene they came from, they tend to move outside of the genre. Turnstile’s early work leading up to 2018’s Time + Space inverted the formula, transforming 1990s alt-rock, electronic interludes, R&B, and go-go percussion into hardcore. Glow On integrates those stylistic branches into the band’s strongest set of songs yet, making the record feel timeless. “ALIEN LOVE CALL” is a legitimate wash of modern R&B, while “UNDERWATER BOI” pulses like a late-‘80s indie dance classic. “MYSTERY” storms in on an unforgettable, mournful hook and three-chord guitar riff. The words are direct but impressionistic – “And I believe in holding on to life/but I’m afraid to/and it’s been so long/is all the mystery gone?” Like the rest of the songs on Glow On, the reflective intensity of the singing meets the assertive stomp of the music, leaving this record as a testament to holding on to life.