flipturn
Talks Debut Album, “Whales,” and Band Identity
By Brennan Greenwald
ARTIST FEATURE
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ARTIST FEATURE 〰️
Fernandina Beach, Florida’s flipturn has blossomed into a household name amongst indie music fans since originating out of a garage in 2015. The band is characterized by infectious, movement-inducing instrumentation paired with emotionally stirring, introspective vocals. Followers of flipturn are quick to emphasize the importance of experiencing the band live, where they transport listeners into a musically induced trance. Amassing over 50 million streams, the band has toured with fellow indie heavyweights Mt. Joy and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Summer 2022 is sure to be monumental for the band, as they will release their debut album Shadowglow on August 19th. flipturn just recently released a single and video off the album titled, “Whales,” a tender, relatable track about the influence of ostensibly insurmountable pressure. The song is backed by a tranquil bassline and riveting drumming that is sure to get your feet moving.
The video for “Whales,” directed by Amanda Laferriere, is shot in black and white and portrays the group alone jamming together. The intimate visuals and motif of dark versus light accentuates the message and relatability of the song. Following a captivating set at Bonnaroo, the group will begin a coast-to-coast tour that will run through the rest of the year and they will make stops at the ultra-popular music festivals Levitate and Lollapalooza. We spoke to Flipturn about their debut album, new single “Whales,” and band identity.
Flipturn! Thanks so much for speaking with us, and congrats on your recent release of “Whales!” What did your creative process look like in making the song?
Madeline: Absolutely, thank you so much! “Whales” originally started out with Mitch’s guitar line and Devon’s drums, and from there I wrote my bassline. When those three parts came together, we knew we had an interesting idea coming together. We all jammed together with those parts in place, and created an overall vibe and feel for the song. Once Tristan added his whale-like delayed guitar tone, we knew we were onto something cool. It’s now one of our favorite songs on the record!
“Whales” is a poignant track backed by a serene bassline. The beat fluctuates in intensity throughout the song, taking listeners along for a ride as they contemplate the lyrical content. Can you tell us any personal context of the song? And what is the main message you want listeners to take away from the track?
Dillon: “Whales” was written as a conversation with one’s own heart. When faced with an immense amount of pressure I’ve found that the body and mind can shut down. “Whales” is about a heart not being able to continue on after its owner finally asked too much of it. As far as an overall message, there is really no moral or hopeful message that it’s meant to convey. I just hope people might be able to relate to it.
The cover art for “Whales,” done by Micah Lomel, is riveting and thought-provoking. She has handled the cover art for some of your other releases as well as various other graphics for the band. How do you think her visual for “Whales” accentuates the song?
Mitch: Micah’s artistic ability has really brought the songs to life in a new way, and I know this specific piece for Whales is one of our favorites. I think art is perceived differently by everyone, but the overall feeling of the Whales artwork is supposed to portray the feeling of drowning or being almost completely underwater. As the others said, the song is about pressure and pushing past our own limits.
“Whales” Cover Artwork / Click to Listen!
You recently announced on Instagram that your debut album, Shadowglow, is set to be released on August 19th. First off, congratulations! What can fans expect from the upcoming album?
Tristan: Thank you! I think there are a lot of expectations that come with putting out a debut album after 5 years of singles and EPs. I think we did a great job capturing that flipturn sound we’ve been working towards all this time while expanding our own personal boundaries in this new record. We tried really hard to give each song its own identity and purpose- and hope people end up loving it as much as we do!
What does it mean to you as a group to be embarking on the career milestone of your debut album?
Madeline: This is something we’ve been dreaming about since we started the band back in 2016. We’ve been writing and putting our hearts and souls into this record over the past two years, so it’s wild that people will finally be able to hear it. Releasing this album means everything to us, and it feels like we’re starting a new chapter in our journey together.
Can you tell us a little about the inception of Flipturn? And when did you realize music was a viable career path for the band?
Madeline: Tristan, Dillon, and I first started the band in December 2015 when we were seniors in high school. Tristan and I were talking one day about music and how cool it would be to start a band. Dillon was in my friend circle in school and I knew he could sing, so I called him up to pitch our idea, and he was down! We started by learning covers of some songs we liked, and then we began writing our own original music. I think it was after our first ever “real” show at a venue in June 2016 when we realized together that this was what we wanted to do in life. We’ve always had reckless optimism about the band, so we knew that we needed to make the band our number one priority if we wanted to truly follow our dreams of making this a lifelong career.
Building up your own team around you, flipturn is proof that big success can come from the indie side of the industry. What advice do you have for similar groups or solo acts who are navigating the industry on their own?
Madeline: Over the past six years, we have always made the band our number one priority. However, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve some of the goals we’ve had without our incredible team that we’ve built up around us (shoutout to our manager Sam Heekin and booking agent Caleb Coker). In our experience, it’s been super important to surround ourselves with like-minded people and to work with those that believe in our project just as much as we do. Some advice that I’d give to artists that are navigating the industry is to just keep pushing forward and to believe in your art. Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and to push yourself out of your comfort zone. You truly can do anything.
How would you describe your sound and artistic identity to someone who has never heard any of the band’s music?
Mitch: I think our sound is meant to be relatable to the listener. Something that someone can listen to and tie a memory to, and have that feeling whenever they listen, if that makes sense haha. We’re all also fans of movies, so I’d say there’s inspiration from cinematic music.
You’ve toured with the likes of Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Mt. Joy, and Wilderado. What’s been the most valuable thing you’ve learned from a collaborator?
Dillon: Touring with all of those amazing bands this past spring was an incredible learning experience that I think we were very blessed to have. The most valuable thing we learned came from watching how each band handled themselves in such a professional manner— both on and off the stage. It was extremely inspiring.
You are currently headlining a North American tour through the rest of 2022 and are set to perform at the prominent music festivals Bonnaroo, Levitate, and Lollapalooza. What has the return to live music meant to you?
Tristan: Honestly, it means everything. We’ve always prided ourselves on our live show - it’s an integral part of how we reflect on the writing process. We always joke about how there’s two different phases of being in a band: there’s the writing/recording brain and there’s the touring brain. Both are so codependent upon each other and only serve to lift the other.
Devon: I think the best part about music is getting to experience it live. The shows go beyond the music itself, it’s an energy exchange between us & the audience & it’s a completely unique experience each time. Everyone was kinda starved of that during the pandemic, so there’s a new level of joy & gratefulness with the return of live music. Super surreal.
What else can fans expect from y’all in 2022?
Dillon: Just lots of new music and a live show to go along with it that I’m really excited to put together. We are going on our longest tour yet this year.