Turnstile Never Enough
Turnstile's Never Enough stakes a bold claim for arena-scale ambition while still nodding to the band's hardcore origins. Across 18 professional reviews, critics register a record that often soars - and sometimes overreaches - earning a 78.76/100 consensus score that frames the album as an adventurous, occasionally uneven step forward.
Reviewers consistently point to standout tracks as proof of the album's reach: “LOOK OUT FOR ME”, “SUNSHOWER” and “BIRDS” recur as the best songs on Never Enough, with other critics praising “NEVER ENOUGH”, “SOLE” and “I CARE” for their arena-ready hooks and melodic craft. Professional reviews celebrate the record's genre-blending - dream-pop shimmer, Baltimore-club grooves, sax and horn flourishes - and laud the production and sequencing that let cathartic hardcore bursts sit alongside pop-leaning refrains. Critics note themes of communal catharsis, isolation, grief and reflection versus thrill as shaping the album's emotional core.
Not all coverage is unqualified praise. Some critics fault indulgent production, sluggish pacing and moments where stylistic detours dilute the band's core urgency, describing portions of the record as overlong or unfocused. Yet the prevailing critical consensus suggests Never Enough is worth listening to for its high points: the lengthy, inventive sweep of “LOOK OUT FOR ME”, the ecstatic friction of “SUNSHOWER”, and the singalong propulsion of “BIRDS”. For readers searching for a clear verdict on Never Enough, the collection emerges as a daring, mostly successful expansion of Turnstile's palette that rewards repeat plays even as it provokes debate among critics.
Below, read the detailed professional reviews that map where the record triumphs and where it frays.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Body As A River
1 mention
"On the propulsive “Body As A River": "I read what I write / And it’s never without shame"— Paste Magazine
Ride
1 mention
"John Cale, whose backup vocals join her on the mechanical, slow-grooving "Ride.""— Paste Magazine
LOOK OUT FOR ME
15 mentions
"‘LOOK OUT FOR ME’ begins as a ferocious, fist-thumping anthem but soon morphs into a haze of smoky electronica"— DIY Magazine
On the propulsive “Body As A River": "I read what I write / And it’s never without shame
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
NEVER ENOUGH
SOLE
I CARE
DREAMING
LIGHT DESIGN
DULL
SUNSHOWER
LOOK OUT FOR ME
CEILING
SEEIN’ STARS
BIRDS
SLOWDIVE
TIME IS HAPPENING
MAGIC MAN
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 21 critics who reviewed this album
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Critic's Take
Turnstile sound larger and more daring on Never Enough, and the review makes a strong case for the album's best tracks. The sprawling “LOOK OUT FOR ME” is singled out as a centerpiece, trading hardcore bursts for a seven-minute sweep that rewards openness. Crowd-ready cuts like “SOLE”, “BIRDS” and “SUNSHOWER” still power the mosh-ready moments that made them beloved. Guest-tinged highlights including “SEEIN' STARS” and “TIME IS HAPPENING” show how Turnstile bridge audiences without losing their core energy.
Key Points
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The best song is “LOOK OUT FOR ME” because its seven-minute sweep and dreamy outro mark the album's most ambitious shift.
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The album's core strengths are bold genre-bridging collaborations, dynamic shifts between raucous and ambient moments, and an inclusive, life-affirming energy.
Themes
Critic's Take
In his typically textured, historical voice David Pike finds the best tracks on Never Enough where Turnstile’s communal heart meets widescreen ambition: “Birds” is singled out as a standout for its blossoming thrash and groove, while “Look Out for Me” and “Sunshower” register as core moments in the album’s six-song suite. Pike traces how the band braids hardcore punch with pop and ambient expanses, locating the album’s strength in songs that literally and figuratively look out for other people. The result answers queries about the best songs on Never Enough by pointing readers to the tracks that most convincingly marry old-school community and contemporary reach.
Key Points
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The best song, "Birds", is best because it compresses multiple emotional and musical movements into a cathartic, communal outburst.
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The album’s core strengths are its genre-crossing textures and its balancing of communal hardcore ethos with widescreen pop ambition.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a voice that swings between exuberant fandom and close critical reading, Turnstile's Never Enough stakes its claim as a summer-defining pop-hardcore record, where the best songs - notably “Sunshower” and “Never Enough” - crystallize the band's new arena ambitions. The reviewer revels in the contrast: the explosive hardcore snap of “Sunshower” collapsing into shimmering synth vistas, and the opening title track “Never Enough” serving as a sparkling alt-rock hymn with massive vocals. Likewise, the drama of “Look Out For Me” and the pop craft of “Seein’ Stars” and “I Care” are highlighted as signature moments that show why these are the best tracks on Never Enough. Overall the tone is celebratory and measured, arguing that these standout songs make the album an inevitable year-end contender.
Key Points
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The best song, "Sunshower", is best for its explosive hardcore start that dissolves into cinematic synth bliss.
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The album's core strength is its seamless blend of hardcore energy with pop and nostalgic 80s-tinged experimentation.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a witheringly sarcastic tone the reviewer treats Turnstile's Never Enough as a bloated step back, but concedes standout moments like “Look Out For Me” and “Birds” where the band's atmospheric instincts pay off. The piece argues the best songs on Never Enough are not its radio-punk attempts but patient builds such as “Look Out For Me” and the coda of “I Care”, which subvert expectation and actually deliver. Throughout the review the critic skewers indulgent production and sluggish pacing, while spotlighting those few tracks that justify the band's talent. The review balances sharp criticism with specific praise of the album's atmospheric peaks for SEO-friendly discoverability.
Key Points
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The best song is "Look Out For Me" because its patient instrumental build and extended coda subvert the album's sluggish tendencies.
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The album's core strengths are moments of atmospheric soundscaping and tight rhythm playing, despite pervasive overindulgence and sluggish pacing.
Themes
Critic's Take
On Never Enough Turnstile aim for arena-sized payoff and the best songs - notably “Sola” and “Dreaming” - deliver that rush with psychedelic synths, horns, and soaring refrains. “Light Design” also stands out, Brendan Yates’s voice gliding over tactile chords and shreddy leads to give the track palpable momentum. The record’s second half, however, favors sketches over finishes, making even bold experiments like “Look Out for Me” and “Time Is Happening” feel unresolved rather than revelatory. Taken together, the album shows admirable ambition but too many big swings that don’t quite land.
Key Points
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“Sola” is the best song because its anthemic, psychedelic synth passages and soaring refrain make it arena-ready.
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The album's core strengths are ambitious genre-mixing and big, arena-scaled arrangements, but its second half feels sketch-like and underdeveloped.
Themes
Critic's Take
Turnstile's Never Enough makes a compelling case for the best songs on the record being the title track, “SOLE” and “BIRDS”. The reviewer flags the title track as setting the tone with its repeated vocal refrain and ambient close-out, praises “SOLE” for swapping drone for crunchy guitar, and calls “BIRDS” a juggernaut that "sticks the landing perfectly". The narrative celebrates Turnstile's growth, noting sunlit moments like “I CARE” and the earwormy charm of “LIGHT DESIGN” as further reasons these are the best tracks on Never Enough.
Key Points
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The title track is best for setting tone, ambient close-out, and repeated vocal refrain.
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The album's core strengths are genre-blending ambition, anthemic riffs, and melodic hooks without losing hardcore edge.
Themes
Critic's Take
Turnstile's Never Enough feels like an ambitious, gleeful widening of hardcore's horizons, where the best songs - notably “I Care” and “Seein’ Stars” - wear pop hooks without losing muscle. Alastair Shuttleworth writes with upbeat certainty about how tracks such as “Look Out For Me” and “Sunshower” move through scenes and genres, turning experiments into coherent thrills. The review voices admiration for the band's ability to keep Brendan Yates' gritty vocals as the album's glue while letting horns, flute and guests push the songs into bright, accessible territory. Ultimately, this is praise phrased as high approval: the album's poptimist mindset and sparkling arrangements make clear why listeners search for the best songs on Never Enough.
Key Points
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The best song is notable for successful genre-shifts that pair pop melody with hardcore energy.
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The album's core strengths are adventurous collaborations, melodic brightness, and cohesive vocals anchoring experimentation.
Themes
Critic's Take
Turnstile sound more adventurous on Never Enough, but Nina Corcoran notes they sometimes hold back; the best songs - “Light Design” and “I Care” - show them trading hardcore for Police-like rhythms and pop sheen. She praises the band’s comfort in new attire and the moments when studio experimentation pays off, while arguing tracks like “Slowdive” and “Sole” land like familiar Glow On B-sides. The review frames the album as earnest and exploratory, making those highlighted tracks the clearest evidence that Turnstile’s expansion mostly succeeds.
Key Points
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The best song(s) like "Light Design" shine because they successfully blend Turnstile’s rhythms with '80s pop-rock textures.
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The album’s core strengths are bold experimentation, comfortable stylistic shifts, and evocative reflections on time.
Themes
Critic's Take
Turnstile’s Never Enough feels like a deliberate sister record to GLOW ON, leaning into dreamy indie flourishes while still delivering arena-ready hooks. The reviewer singles out “LOOK OUT FOR ME” as perhaps the highlight, praising its full transformation into a blissful Baltimore house beat, and celebrates the playful horns on “DREAMING” and the stuttering fakeouts of “DULL” as adventurous flourishes. At the same time the critic notes some tracks, like “LIGHT DESIGN” and “MAGIC MAN”, slip into sedate background moments, but overall the sequencing and production make songs like the title track and “SOLE” land as all-timer pairings. The tone is appreciative and measured, presenting the best songs on Never Enough as both crowd-pleasing and creatively exploratory.
Key Points
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“LOOK OUT FOR ME” is the best song because it fully transforms into a blissful Baltimore house beat and is called the album highlight.
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The album’s core strengths are adventurous genre-blending, impeccable sequencing, and polished production that balance dreamy synthesis with crushing guitars.
Themes
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Critic's Take
Turnstile sound like a band that has both widened and sharpened its horizons on Never Enough, and the best tracks - notably “I Care” and “Sunshower” - show why. Petridis marvels at how the group marries hardcore urgency to unabashed pop melodicism, so that moments of proggy synth and flute or Smiths-ish jangle land without feeling indulgent. He singles out the album's knack for hooks, arguing that even the most stylistic left turns are smoothed by an unfailing sense of tune, which is why songs such as “Light Design” and “SOLE” feel like genuine highlights. The review frames the record as impressively coherent despite its kaleidoscopic sounds, while warning the band risks diluting the hardcore USP when songs drift into generic pop-rock territory.
Key Points
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The best songs combine hardcore roots with irresistible hooks, making tracks like "I Care" and "Sunshower" stand out.
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The album's core strength is its confident genre-blending and unfailing melodicism that smooths stylistic shifts.
Themes
Critic's Take
On Never Enough Turnstile again reframe what hardcore can be, leaning into community and widescreen melodies while keeping the rush. The reviewer singles out “Look Out For Me”, “Birds” and “Sunshower” as must-hear moments, praising the Baltimore-club outro and Shabaka Hutchings's jazz flute as sparks that elevate the record. There is wistful comparison to Glow On, noting riffs feel less inspired without Brady Ebert, yet songs like “Light Design” still deliver fragmented, explosive adrenaline. Overall the best songs on Never Enough are those that marry ambition with immediacy, especially “Look Out For Me” and “Birds”.
Key Points
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The best song is “Look Out For Me” for its Baltimore-club outro and emotional sample integration.
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The album's core strengths are bold genre expansion, widescreen melodies, and standout moments of explosive energy.
Themes
Critic's Take
In this review Grant Sharples frames Turnstile’s Never Enough as a band stretching their palette, and he elevates “Look Out For Me” and “BIRDS” as key moments that justify that ambition. He praises the seven-minute “Look Out For Me” as the album’s centerpiece, a track that morphs from hardcore crunch into a muted Baltimore club beat and so exemplifies the record’s reach. He also singles out “BIRDS” as a contained, classic hardcore ripper that provides necessary contrast. The narrative argues the best songs on Never Enough are those that balance headlong energy with exploratory detours, making the album feel like a level-up rather than a radical reinvention.
Key Points
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The best song, “Look Out For Me”, is best because its seven-minute arc encapsulates Turnstile’s ambition and stylistic reach.
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The album’s core strength is balancing hardcore ferocity with exploratory textures to expand their sound without abandoning roots.
Themes
Critic's Take
Turnstile’s Never Enough stakes a claim for the best songs on the record in tracks like “NEVER ENOUGH” and “SOLE”, which respectively marry dreamy synth build and gnarled, carnal riffs to thrilling effect. The review revels in how “NEVER ENOUGH” functions as a deep-breath plunge into a stadium-sized juggernaut, while “SOLE” and “I CARE” prove the band can still summon pit-ready ferocity and Smiths-esque guitar skip in the same breath. That balance of heft and lightness, the flirtation with electronica on “LOOK OUT FOR ME” and the nu-metal force of “DULL” are offered as reasons these are the best tracks on Never Enough, making the album feel ambitious, cathartic and unmistakably Turnstile.
Key Points
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The title track “NEVER ENOUGH” is best for its stadium-scaled build and balance of heft and lightness.
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The album’s core strength is ambitious genre-blending that preserves hardcore roots while expanding into cinematic, experimental sounds.
Themes
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Critic's Take
In a voice that luxuriates in imagery and technical detail, Turnstile’s Never Enough finds its best songs in the record’s exploratory heart - notably “Look Out For Me” and “Sunshower” - where experimentation and hardcore collide. The reviewer repeatedly praises Daniel Fang’s driving drums and the cinematic synths that lift tracks like “Never Enough” and “Birds”, while warning the album occasionally overstays its welcome. The result is an inventive, sometimes indulgent, hardcore record that blossoms at its peaks and frays slightly at its edges.
Key Points
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The best song is “Look Out For Me” because it synthesises the album’s experimental textures into a cohesive, compelling centerpiece.
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The album’s core strengths are cinematic synths, Daniel Fang’s propulsive drumming, and a willingness to marry hardcore aggression with delicate experimentation.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a vivid, slightly bemused tone the reviewer frames Turnstile's Never Enough as an artful gallery of songs where the best tracks show the band stretching into new atmospheres. The opening title track and the hard-hitting “Sole” are held up as gateway pieces, the former ascending "a staircase of sounds" and the latter landing as "one of the hardest tracks on the album," making them among the best songs on Never Enough. The review also elevates “Sunshower” as a standout moment of "hardcore delirium," and points to contemplative highlights like “Ceiling” and Eighties-tinged “Seein’ Stars” as proof the album rewards repeat visits. The voice stays cinematic and affectionate, insisting these best tracks reveal Turnstile's appetite for both chaos and careful art direction.
Key Points
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The title track and "Sole" are the album's most compelling moments because they set the sonic trajectory and deliver hard-hitting intensity.
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The album's core strength is its genre-blending, art-directed approach that balances hardcore delirium with lush, Eighties-tinged atmospheres and cinematic touches.
Themes
Critic's Take
Turnstile sound poised to reshape perceptions with Never Enough, and the review makes clear which are the best songs on Never Enough: the title track and “Look Out For Me”. Hill writes with breathless certainty that the opening synth and Zakk Wylde-esque solo lift the title track into something larger than hardcore, while calling “Look Out For Me” a six-minute-plus highlight that marries The Police and Tame Impala with raw punk heart. He also singles out “SOLE” and “I CARE” as standout moments, praising their pop nous and two-stepping energy, which is why listeners searching for the best tracks on Never Enough should start there.
Key Points
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The six-minute “Look Out For Me” is the album’s centerpiece because it fuses diverse influences into a singular, definitive Turnstile statement.
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Never Enough’s core strength is its fearless blend of hardcore energy with pop hooks and wide-ranging stylistic experiments, making it a potential genre landmark.
Themes
Ke
Critic's Take
There is a palpable sense of ambition on Never Enough, and Luke Morton hears it plainly: this is Turnstile stretching out into new arenas while retaining the muscular heart of their sound. The review fixates on standout moments like “NEVER ENOUGH” and “I CARE”, praising the opening title-track's ethereal ambience and the breezy, jangling 2000s indie of “I CARE” as the album's most immediate highlights. Morton frames the record as cinematic and cohesive, a singular vision where trumpets, disco beats and monstrous riffs coexist without feeling disjointed. For listeners asking what the best songs on Never Enough are, the review points consistently to the opening title-track and the summery charm of “I CARE” as prime examples of the album's strengths.
Key Points
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The opening title-track is best because it extends the ethereal, cinematic mood set by GLOW ON while showcasing Brendan Yates' vocals and expansive arrangements.
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The album's core strength is fearless genre-blending, marrying hardcore roots with psychedelia, disco, trumpets and 2000s indie into a cohesive dreamscape.