ALBUM REVIEW: Flipturn’s Shadowglow is Indie-Rock at its finest

Indie-rock band flipturn, consisting of Dillon Basse (vocals, guitar), Madeline Jarman (bass), Devon Vonbalson (drums), Tristan Duncan (lead guitar) and Mitch Fountain (guitar, keyboard) have come a long way since their small town in Florida where musicians first came together as teenagers. flipturn gained significant recognition in 2018 with their EP Zesty and would eventually see singles like “August” and “Chicago” helped the band grow their fan base outside of Fernandina Beach, Florida, where they cut their teeth playing and creating music. On August 19, 2022, the group released their first album Shadowglowunder Dualtone Records with much anticipation, especially after playing major festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Shaky Knees, Hangout, SunFest and Levitate.

Shadowglow begins with “The Fall”, the guitar that immediately appears in a classic upbeat start the band is known for. Much of the album centers around feelings of helplessness after trying, and failing, to find anything, whether it’s love or extra time, and those feelings show up right away in “I Thought I’d found innocence / Right now in this life / I thought we’d have more time.

The album’s third song, “Whales”, was also released as a single, flipturn themselves calling it one of their favorite songs. Though it retains the familiar “flipturn sound,” with heavy buildup and punchy lyrics, “Whales” has an added layer of psychedelic rock that makes Dillon’s already whimsical vocals even dreamier. The tone changes slightly in one of my favorites, “Sad Disco,” a song about having to accept defeat that your time with someone you love is over. The track itself is as groovy as it sounds, with guitar riffs mixed with synth sounds to create what I can only describe as disco rock n’ roll.

Tracks five and six, “Brooklyn Baby” and “Halfway”, were released together prior to the album’s launch, which makes sense given that they’re about the realization that time will forever pass, an idea that continues to ring true throughout the rest of Shadowglow. In “Halfway”, Dillon sings, “Cause we were halfway to Houston/ And I didn’t care/ I still smell your lips/ I still taste your hair/ And I didn’t like you/ And I’m well aware / Maybe I used you / But I was almost there.

The saddest song on the album, and the highlight, has to be “In Consideration”, a passionate and heartbreaking song that shows the heartbreak that comes with the passage of time. Lyrics like “Time slows down, it doesn’t freeze” and “Everything will come / And it will pass”, coupled with the incredible drum beat and slow bass sounds create an emotional song for sad rocking.

Flipturn can do more than indie rock though; with this new album, they have also branched out into new genres, experimenting with different beats while maintaining sounds that are iconic to them. In songs like “Hollow,” Dillon’s vocals are muffled for the verses, making the clean chorus even more punchy. In “Burn” and “Weepy Woman”, techno beats and electro vibes amplify the instruments to make everything feel a little alien.

The album ends with “Orbit”, an introspective title with a resounding message: “Keep walking”. Globally, Shadowglow is flipturn at its best. With repetitive drum and guitar notes that gradually build into an intense, totally rocking chorus, these fourteen songs are a compilation of indie-rock at its best.

On August 27, flipturn plays Playground Music Festival before starting their national tour Shadowglow toured, in more than 20 states to spread their remarkable music and shine a light on those who came to listen.

2022 TOUR DATES

8/27 – Gainesville, Florida – Playground Music Festival

9/16 – Athens, GA – September Days Festival

9/17 – Asheville, NC – The Gray Eagle

9/18 – Knoxville, TN – Newground Festival

9/27 – New Orleans, LA – Toulouse Theater

9/29 – Austin, TX – Parish

9/30 – Houston, TX – The Scret Group

10/1 – Dallas, Texas – Club Dada

10/5 – Phoenix, AR – Valley Bar

10/6 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues

10/7 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom

10/8 – San Luis Obispo, CA – SLO Brew Rock

10/9 – San Francisco, CA – Down the Hill

10/12 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s

10/13 – Portland, OR – Holocene

10/15 – Boise, ID – The Chipper

10/18 – Salt Lake City – Kilby Court

10/19 – Salt Lake City – Kilby Court

10/21 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater

10/22 – Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theater

10/25 – Kansas City, MO – recordBAR

10/27 – Davenport, IA – Racoon Motel

10/28 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entrance

10/29 – Milwaukee, WI – The Colectivo back room

11/2 – Columbus, OH – The Basement

11/3 – Detroit, MI – The Metro

11/4 – Buffalo, NY – Iron Works

11/6 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall

9/11 – New York, NY – The Bowery Ballroom

10/11 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Ardmore Music Hall

11/12 – Washington DC – Black Cat

11/13 – Richmond, Virginia – The Broadberry

11/30 – Louisville, Kentucky – Zanzabar

12/1 – Nashville, TN – East Basement

12/2 – Greenville, SC – Radio Room

12/3 – Charlotte, North Carolina – Southend d’Amos