Up in the northern most point of the east coast of Florida lives a band with a knack for creating catchy and energetic songs. Meet Flipturn, a five-piece indie surf rock band from Fernandina Beach, FL. We got to speak with them about their new single "Churches" and a whole bunch more. Read the full interview right after the jump!
Hi Flipturn! How’re you guys doing today?
Hey! Feelin’ pretty swell.
How’d you all end up in a band together?
Madeline (bassist) and Tristan (lead guitarist) have always wanted to start a band. So one day during our junior year of high school, they met up at a Starbucks and called up Dillon (now singer / guitarist) and said “Hey, we have an idea.” Dillon came to the Starbucks and we pitched our idea of starting a band, and he was in! From there we brought on Adrian to play the drums and later, Taylor to play the synth. Taylor was a friend of Madeline’s from a club that they were both in during high school.
Talk to me about your new single “Churches” and the process of creating it.
While the meaning behind "Churches" is about finding your passion, it is also about people in society wanting to fit in. “I wanted to feel wanted like I had a contagious soul”. The song raises awareness as to trying to get away from longing to be accepted and focusing your energy on something you're passionate about and obsess over. Hence the last line of the bridge changing to “I wanted for you to please let me go.” Writing "Churches" was kind of an accident. Tristan really liked playing the CAGED Maj7 and Min7 shapes, and he remembered talking about extensions in his Jazz Fundamentals class. He figured that putting the two over each other would be cool, and he really likes the rhythm. It ended up turning out pretty sweet, so "Churches" was born!
What’s y’alls favorite thing about making music?
It’s so fulfilling to make music that we’re proud of, especially when that music resonates with other people. It’s allowed us to make new friends and share some pretty great memories together. Making music has definitely brought us closer together.
Who are some of your inspirations?
We’re inspired by a variety of different artists. Whether it’s Phoenix, Hippo Campus, The Black Keys, Two Door Cinema Club, Pixies or Rush, we somehow come together to make a mix of music that makes up our “flipturn” sound.
What’s an average day in the life of Flipturn like?
The average day in the life of Flipturn is sending funny memes to one another in our band groupchat, creating and writing new music in Madeline’s garage, arguing about different Star Wars conspiracy theories, and going out to eat together!
What’s been the coolest thing to have happened to all you guys since being in a band together?
Getting voted in to play at Okeechobee Music Festival! When we signed up for a chance to be in the competition, we had no clue that we would even get picked for the competition, let alone beat out 3,000 other bands to win a spot on the main stage! It’s incredibly humbling and we have the greatest fans, honestly. We couldn’t have done it without them.
What’ve you all been listening to?
I listen to a lot of Hippo Campus, Alvvays, Chastity Belt, and Beach Fossils. I’m also pumped for the new Courtney Barnett album to come out! - Madeline
Recently I’ve been listening to an interesting mix of older stuff like Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, The Cranberries, Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, The Psychedelic Furs, and America. - Taylor
Definitely a lot of Sure Sure and The Districts. - Dillon
Yeah, I'm also listening to a bunch of Sure Sure and The Districts! Courtney Barnett is awesome as well. Lately, I've been listening to Cory Henry and Pearl & the Oysters. - Tristan
Frank Ocean and Tame Impala. - Adrian
Most importantly: where’s the band’s favorite place to eat?
In Gainesville, we love eating at this Mexican restaurant called El Indio. Literally everything there is amazing and it’s definitely our go-to place to eat before shows or during our lunch break when we record. Back home in Fernandina Beach, we go to this cool pizza place called Moon River. They have bomb white pizza and salads.
Anything else you’d like to add?
We’re going on tour this summer! Be on the lookout because we might be coming to a city near you (especially if you live on the east coast).