Q&A: flipturn on Their 58-Show Tour, Debut Album ‘Shadowglow’ & Paranormal Experiences

Q&AMusic

Nov 14

☆ By Grayson Keglovic ☆

RUNNING THE MARATHON, FLORIDA-BASED BAND — flipturn, composed of frontman Dillon Basse, bassist Madeline Jarman, lead guitarist Tristan Duncan, guitarist and synth player Mitch Fountain, and drummer Devon VonBalson, has learned that most things in life aren’t a sprint, they’re a marathon. The current marathon in question? A 58-show tour across North America to showcase their debut album, Shadowglow. The band’s two-year project was released back in August and was the start of an unprecedented second half of the year. Last week, flipturn announced the addition of 19 more shows to their already 39-show tour, something the band has never done before.

This past summer, flipturn went back to their roots of Gainesville, Florida to host Playground Music Festival, a first-time festival that served as an ode to the band’s birthplace, as well as to past bands they have played with as their career has grown. To continue their year of firsts, flipturn traded their summer swimsuits for Halloween costumes with the release of their “Sad Disco” music video. The standout single from their debut album had a spooky feel, with the accompanying music video reflecting that feeling.

Luna sat down with flipturn to learn more about their latest album, current tour, and their favorite memories from Playground Music Festival. Read below to learn about flipturn’s recent growth through touring, creative processes, and 2022 firsts.

LUNA: You’re currently in the middle of a tour across the US — how do you feel you’ve changed since your last time touring? Musically? Personally?

BASSE: I think musically and personally we’ve grown a lot since our last time touring. Every time we go back on the road we learn new ways to take care of our bodies, both mentally and physically. I can’t think of a better-fitting analogy for the term “It’s not a sprint it’s a marathon” than touring.

LUNA: Back in August, you released your debut album, Shadowglow. What sets this debut album apart from your past EPs and singles?

JARMAN: Making Shadowglow was a two-year process for us so it’s definitely the longest project we’ve created together. I think this album really encapsulates what we’ve always wanted to sonically create as a band. We’ve grown so much as a band since releasing our past songs, so I think our sound has matured and grown along with us over the years.

LUNA: Since your latest album release, you have played at numerous festivals and shows. What have you learned in these last fast-paced months?

BASSE: I think the one thing we’ve learned to do is appreciate the special moments and let them sink in a little. Sometimes when things are so fast-paced it’s easy to become overwhelmed, and often you forget to take it all in.

LUNA: Tristan described “Sad Disco” as having “a subtle kind of thriller/horror/serial killer tone.” Why do you feel the song fits the horror theme so well?

JARMAN: I think the verses of the song kind of lean into the creepy tone of a thriller. When we were writing the song, we all got that vibe of a dance-y, kind of spooky disco feeling that we wanted to lean into. We haven’t written a song like this one before so it was super fun to create together.

LUNA: During the recording process of “Sad Disco,” you stayed in an Airbnb that can’t be forgotten after you became convinced it was haunted. What happened at the Airbnb that led you to this belief, and how did this experience shape the accompanying “Sad Disco” music video?

FOUNTAIN: In the room I stayed in I was able to see the entirety of the room due to a closet with sliding mirror doors. I think it was the second night there, I was trying to go to bed and I literally saw a woman in my room walking towards the door and then vanishing. Definitely freaked me out, and I barely slept the rest of the time there (laughs).

LUNA: What was it like working with Casey Pierce and combining creative processes?

JARMAN: It was super fun working with Casey! We met over a few Zoom calls and worked on this idea together of leaning into the campy 1950s sci-fi film style for the “Sad Disco” music video. We knew we wanted to film in a swampy area, so a friend of ours loaned us his lake house for the weekend and it worked out perfectly! Casey and his brother, Michael, were so efficient and truly made the video exactly how we envisioned it in the planning process.

LUNA: Tell me about Playground Music Festival. What was it like hosting a summer music festival?

JARMAN: Putting on Playground Music Fest was such a dream come true, honestly. We have so much love for the Gainesville music scene, since that’s where we got our start as a band back in 2016. This year we knew we wanted to do something special for the community, so we decided to put on our own festival! We asked a bunch of local bands and some bands that we’re friends with from the southeast to join us, and it was such a blast. Huge shoutout to Heartwood Soundstage for hosting the festival! They are some incredible people to work with and made our vision for the festival come to life.

LUNA: What was your favorite memory from Playground Music Festival?

BASSE: My favorite moment was easily the end of the night, when we had a lot of our friends that were part of the festival come up on stage with us during our song “Nickel.” We wanted Playground Fest to be a reunion of sorts for all the bands we played with over the years while getting our start in Florida, so to have so many of them on stage with us singing and dancing in front of over a thousand people really was just the cherry on top.

LUNA: What do you feel when you play shows in your native state, Florida?

JARMAN: It’s so amazing to play shows in Florida — it’s always like a big homecoming for us. All of our families come out, and we’re able to see and play for old friends from school and college. It’s super fun and always feels like a warm hug.

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We couldn’t be more stoked to have Suriel Hess as our new headliner for our upcoming LA show 🤩 🫶 Not gonna lie, us & Notorious Noise kinda went OFF with this line up & you’re not gonna wanna miss it - ticket link in bio 🎫