Did Turnstile get snubbed at the 2023 Grammys?

Turnstile’s nominations at this year’s Grammys are bewildering, to say the least.

Because while, yes, the band are full-fledged rock stars now who sell out 6,300-cap venues and inspire the kind of wide-eyed devotion that clung to bands like Nirvana (who received the Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday), Radiohead, and MF DOOM, it’s another thing to receive recognition for that quantum leap from an event as mainstream as the Grammys.

Read more: 20 bands that shaped hardcore’s evolution

This year, Turnstile were up for three nominations: Best Rock Song, Best Rock Performance, and Best Metal Performance. The band, however, lost all three categories to previous Recording Academy winners (Brandi Carlile, with six previous wins, and Ozzy Osbourne, who has three, took home the prize in the respective categories).

It’s disheartening, given that Turnstile’s GLOW ON is an album that pushed the boundaries for what hardcore music could be. It nodded to the band’s roots making furious, DIY punk in Baltimore basements, while gesturing to countless other genres. By channeling their love of groove by way of go-go music, 808 drums, and Sly Stone worship, Turnstile created a record that sounds like nothing else.

“What I appreciate from people making music is something that reflects that huge complex body of DNA that makes them up. We just love music and making songs that feel good to us. As simple of a thought as that is, that’s really just the goal,” vocalist Brendan Yates told AP in 2021.

Beyond Turnstile’s nominations, though, the Grammy categories have been moving in a better direction. Last year, Japanese Breakfast and Arlo Parks were up for Best New Artist, and the year prior, Phoebe Bridgers was nominated for four awards. Even this year’s Best New Artist ballot included the Linda Lindas, Sudan Archives, Bartees Strange, Nilüfer Yanya, Rina Sawayama, Soccer Mommy, and Denzel Curry. 

Still, it’s thrilling to see Turnstile honored by the Recording Academy in the first place — and a sign of hardcore’s takeover in the wider culture. Here’s hoping for a win in the future.

Source: altpress.com