flipturn started in 2015 in bassist Madeline Jarman’s garage alongside guitarist Tristan Duncan and vocalist Dillon Basse while they were all seniors in high school. The band steadily developed a cult following thanks to their early EPs (Heavy Colors, Citrona and Something You Needed), each of which showcased the group’s sonic versatility; vulnerable, colorful lyricism; and Basse’s captivating, effervescent voice.
Older songs such as “Chicago,” “August” and “Glistening” are all live show staples typically sung word-for-word by both old and new fans.
The band’s popularity exploded with the release of their 2022 debut album, Shadowglow, and they wasted no time capitalizing on it. They toured relentlessly for the next two years without any real break. By the time they got back home, flipturn was understandably exhausted by their intensive schedule, a feeling that directly inspired the main theme of their next release, Burnout Days.
“We love how the record came out,” Basse says. “This is one of our favorite produced records, I’d say.”
We got to sit down with Basse over Zoom ahead of their upcoming Burnout Days tour to dive a bit deeper into their latest record, which was recorded in Tornillo, Texas, at the Sonic Ranch. The Ranch is revered as the world's largest residential recording studio and offers several large creative spaces with satisfyingly mismatched upholstery, walls and decorations as well as a gym and pool.
“You are very secluded. You’re on this pecan farm right near the border, and you have so much time to just be in the creative process there,” Basse says. “There are no outside distractions. It’s such a beautiful area too, and it was super inspiring just to be there. I hope we get to do more there, honestly. I know we all really want to go back.”
Basse says the Ranch was a spot the band had long adored. Several other records such as Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters and Lil Yachty’s Let’s Start Here were recorded there, as well as some of the albums that have influenced flipturn as musicians.
“Some of our favorite bands have recorded there, and we’ve always heard cool stories about people recording there,” Basse says. “For instance, Hippo Campus recorded their album Landmark there, and that was one of the first albums that we bonded over as a band when we were still in high school and college. We were coming up in the Jacksonville music scene, and that album had just come out, and it was something we all agreed was a masterpiece. Big Thief’s album Two Hands was also recorded there, and they’ve also been a huge influence on us, especially with their songwriting and production choices.
“So, it just seemed like an iconic spot, and we have the budget now to go to a place like this and really dive in. Our producer, Chad Copelin, has worked there a lot, so when we started talking to him and he said, ‘We should go to Sonic Ranch,’ we were like, ‘Yeah, we should go to Sonic Ranch!’ It seemed like the perfect place to make a record, and it was. It lived up to every expectation.”
What resulted for flipturn was Burnout Days, their most sonically diverse project to date — not bad for a burnt-out band. Some artists’ success begins and ends with their debut record, whether it’s due to a lack of effort from the band or just a result of diminishing quality from subsequent projects, but Basse says flipturn just went in and tackled the tracks like they normally would.
“I’ve heard so many people talk about the sophomore slump. It was a worry, but we weren’t trying to go into the studio and just make hits, we were just doing what we’ve always done,” he says. “If we really like an idea, we’re gonna build on it, and if we think it’s cool, it’s gonna go on the record. We weren’t in there like, ‘This is gonna be a top song!’ or ‘Is this catchy enough?’ so that wasn’t really happening, and I hope we never do that. We’re just making stuff that we like, and I’m pretty stoked on the album overall.”
The record opens with “Juno,” a bouncy, synth-heavy bop with an opening riff that was accidentally brought to life when guitar/synth player Mitch Fountain knocked his synth over. Basse erupts near the end of “Right?” with a gripping vocal run that slides directly into one of the album’s heaviest moments, with everyone stomping on their distortion pedals and going into overdrive on their axes. “Tides” starts off light then flaunts the band’s more aggressive side with nice noodling from Duncan and Fountain while “Window” falls more in line with flipturn’s foolproof formula of warm indie rock and gorgeous, descriptive lyrics.
“So far, you're too much fun / And taming my tongue gets lonesome / So sink your teeth into my gums / If you want some,” he sings. “Holding a grudge / Like a hand grenade dud / Keeping a crutch to cripple my trust / I've been piling up dust.”
Copelin was a crucial part of their recent record’s range of sounds. This was flipturn’s first time working with the producer, but Basse praises Copelin’s ability to quickly learn how to work with each of the band’s members and the way he was respectful of their craft while still pushing them to develop their sound.
"He’s the perfect mix of offering up advice and just letting us do our own thing,” he says. “It was so cool too, because we all have different personalities and work differently in the studio but he kind of knew how to play to each one of us to get the best out of each of us. He had an awareness about him that helped everyone reach their full potential on the album. Chad really knew what he was doing with all of us in there.”
The band’s newest member, drummer Devon VonBalson, doesn’t have a single stale groove on the record. He drifts effortlessly through the transitions on “Moon Rocks” in 6/8 as Jarman sticks to the upbeats, and acts as a sideline instigator through Duncan and Basse’s duet on “Swim Between Trees,” which finds Basse rapidly delivering some of the album’s most beautiful imagery.
“We still learn about each other / I know you like to sing / And I'd say I'm more of a hummer / The day I learned your tune / I knew I'd never hum another,” Basse sings. “Bungeed the jungle bummer / Swam between the trees of summer / My love's a dragonfly / Who paints her eyes in every color.”
More than their prior albums, Burnout Days differs so greatly from track to track that it’s hard to really pick a favorite, a feat Basse takes great pride in.
“Something we love about our music is that each song has the ability to stand out on its own in an album; not every one of our songs sounds the same,” he says. “We have a lot of different genres that we pull from. For instance, the fact that on Burnout Days, 'Inner Wave' [Kevin Parker-esque vocal delivery and stabbing guitars over intense, groovy drumming] and “Right?” [heavier rock with one of Basse’s most scathing vocal performances] are on the same album — some people might not like that, but I love that because it means that each person can have their favorite song on the album rather than just having one song that most people would like.”
Given the project’s theme and their upcoming tour, we asked Basse what self-care practices he’s picked up to combat burnout while he’s on the road.
“I think the biggest one is just taking a break from music itself or finding other types of music to listen to,” he says, which for Basse has been house music. “That’s as far removed from indie music as I can possibly think of. It’s such a different vibe, and I think it’s healthy to be around something that’s so easy to digest. Sometimes, indie music can be very emotional or thought-provoking, and the amazing thing about house music is it’s easy to take in."
Exercise is also a big component in managing his mental health. He reluctantly admits that his favorite split is back and biceps but eagerly denounces leg day.
“I have to hit it today, actually. Sometimes on the road, I’ll purposefully plan leg days for when we don’t have a show the next day so that I’m not wobbly on stage,” he says with a laugh.
Speaking of the tour, Basse assures us that there’ll be plenty of space in the setlist for deep cuts and fan favorites alongside their new album. We asked if the band would ever consider re-recording some of their older songs with their current lineup, and Basse seemed keen on the idea.
“I have always wanted to do that,” he says. “I’m not always so stoked on our old recordings. I think we sound so much different now and we've progressed so much as musicians, that if you listen to those old recordings then come see them live, you’ll think, ‘This is not the same.’ I love that, though. I’ve always wanted to do that, but there are two things: [first,] I would want to take all of the old music down to put up the re-imagined versions, and I don’t know how many people would be so stoked on that. The second thing is time; we’re always wanting to write the next record and make more music. ... We have good discussions about it, and maybe one day it will happen because I know we’d all love to do that.”
We also asked about flipturn’s previous experiences rolling through Texas, starting with their 2022 stop at Dada Dallas. The show was so over-sold that about 20 minutes before flipturn came out, fans were told by the venue that half of them had to go outside or the concert would be called off. When they finally made it to the stage, the band was understandably frustrated but put on a killer show, and eventually everyone was allowed back in to see the remainder of their performance.
“That was a funny show,” he says. “That’s one that we do often joke about. I think it was for the Shadowglow tour we were doing across the country. Dallas always has the best fans and has always been some of our favorite shows, so we were really excited for that one.
"Just the whole situation with the venue was unfortunate, and I think tensions were high because there was a lot of miscommunication. What happened didn’t really feel right, but afterwards we were like, ‘Maybe we lost our cool a little bit there,’ but it always makes for a funny inside joke for anyone who went to that show.”
They also played at Austin City Limits last year, which Basse notes was a highlight for the whole band.
“That’s been a bucket list festival for a long time, so that was really cool,” he says. We got to spend the whole week in Austin in between and we love that city. Those shows were really cool, especially because we were on the same stage as Chappell Roan, so we got to be in front of that huge Pink Pony Club crowd. We made a good amount of Chappell Roan fans that day.”
Their most recent show in Dallas was last October at the State Fair of Texas. The Floridians got to explore the fairgrounds before going onstage and were thoroughly impressed with what they saw.
"We didn’t know what to expect from the state fair, but we had time to walk around, and it was mind-blowing,” Basse says. “They say everything is bigger in Texas, and apparently so are the state fairs, because that was insane. We had never seen something like that before. Also, the show went great; more people showed up for us than I thought. I didn’t know how many people would come out, but they did and that was truly one of our favorite shows in Texas last year.”
flipturn shows no signs of slowing down as they enter the next stage of their journey as a band. We’d recommend grabbing tickets to catch them on tour while they’re still affordable, because the venues are only bound to get bigger from here on out.
More information about the Burnout Days tour and where to purchase tickets can be found on flipturn’s website, flipturn.band.
