REVIEW: Turnstile & BADBADNOTGOOD's "New Heart Designs" via Roadrunner

We’ve been talking about 2021 a lot lately (at least, at the time of writing this, who knows when I’ll get this out) and no record defined the music scene more in that year than Glow On. While Turnstile didn’t place in our year end lists their fourth record was a force to be reckoned with and a hard one to deny the quality of and now, they’ve released a short remix project alongside instrumental jazz fusion trio BBNG. For this review I’ve looked at New Heart Designs as one long track, but it is composed of three remixes of songs from the record, and I did refresh my memory by relistening to the originals.

The project opens with this very beautiful intro complete with pan flutes and a much different vibe than the original cut of “Mystery.” Obviously I expected this to be different but these feel like different stems altogether, even in the vocals. What follows is acoustic, strummy bass, more whimsical flutes and a smooth vocal melody that reminds of something like Tiny Desk or even Colors online. “Mystery” sort of continues like this, there is some of the original spirit later on in the vocal melody but nothing too noteworthy until the transition into “Alien Love Call.” Here the song breaks down and uses its percussion to erupt into the next one. What it transitions into is a smooth jazz section with a hook that goes over really well and only gets smoother as time goes on. Honestly BBNG is just showing off on “ALC” and for good reason the spacey keys and drum sections are a treat to the ears. The song’s chorus is pitched up later on in a way that, until listening with headphones, I thought was an entirely new vocalist followed by a spoken word section that leads to a solo section that keeps the same flair until the final hook explodes into “Underwater Boi.” “Underwater” sort of sounds underwater with a jazzy hip hop instrumental that carries it out till the end of the whole project.


I think, as far as we over here at AsterTracks are concerned, New Heart Designs is a lot more attractive than Glow On. A quick listen and a wonderful addition to the canon of the base record.


I loved this record

  1. Mystery
  2. Alien Love Call [feat. Blood Orange]
  3. Underwater Boi

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