flipturn – Playground

By starrymag | March 25, 2022

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

 

 

 

Q) How would you best describe your sound?

 

Tristan: Our sound is definitely very influenced by our spread of backgrounds in how we started playing music – but where we’ve landed now with our sound is totally a product of us growing together as musicians and getting through the world together. I think a lot of it is influenced by searching for ways to understand and relate, so it’s kind of like writing for ourselves with an audience in mind. 

 

Q) This is your year for festivals, as you are not only slated to play SXSW but also Bonnaroo, Shaky Knees, Hangout, Sunfest, Windjammer, Levitate and Treefort. What is one of your favorite parts about the festival circuit?

 

Madeline: Oh my gosh, we are SO excited to play these festivals. It’s honestly surreal, and we’re very thankful that we’ve been presented with these opportunities. One of my favorite parts about the festival circuit is that we get to see so many amazing artists live that we wouldn’t be able to see otherwise due to our touring schedule. For instance, at Bonnaroo we’ll be able to see King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard one day and then Stevie Nicks the next. Amazing.

 

Q) What does it mean to you to be playing at SXSW this year?

 

Dillon: SXSW has been on our bucket list for years, so to finally be playing the festival and playing as an official SXSW artist means a lot to us. This year specifically we have a lot of new music so we’re excited for the opportunity to showcase it at such an iconic festival. 

 

Q) I absolutely love your upcoming single “Playground!” Tell us the story of how you came up with the song and the message that you hope fans take away from it.

 

Dillon: Ahh thank you so much! “Playground” was written in an attempt to capture the feeling of trying to hold on to a childlike naivety while also coming to terms with reality as we grow older. It is about finding the balance between the two mindsets of not being so pessimistic about everything while also not being completely ignorant lol. 

 

Q) Is this a song you will be performing at your upcoming SXSW set?

 

Madeline: Absolutely!! We can’t wait to share not only “Playground,” but some other new songs, too. 

 

Q) What are some of your favorite flipturn songs that you’ll be playing for SXSW?

 

Mitch: I’m excited to play some new songs that we have been working on. “Playground” is currently my favorite to play and “Glistening” is definitely another favorite of mine. Those two have some of my favorite outros on the setlist.

 

Q) As “Playground” is set for a 3/25 release, what has been the overall reaction when people have had a chance to listen to the song?

 

Madeline: It’s been great! The reactions have been very sweet and supportive. It’s always cool to hear when people come up to us after the show and tell us that they’re excited for the new releases.

 

Q) When it comes to your music, how involved are you in the production/engineering process?

 

Tristan: We’re actually pretty involved in the process! It’s been a big learning curve for us on figuring out the ways to capture the way we write, but we had the pleasure of working with Jon Gilbert out in LA for this past record. I think he truly pulled back the curtain on the recording process. It seemed like he understood what we were going for from the start and it just snowballed from there. We also spent a lot of time demo-ing out the songs for the record, so we had plenty of time and opportunity to shape a direction for sounds that would end up on the record. 

 

Q) Your past two albums have been live albums. What do you love most about live performance as opposed to studio recording, and vice versa?

 

Dillon: Live performances have a certain energy that can be hard to capture in a studio recording. Also, there is something really cool about the imperfections of live performances sometimes that might be over-polished or over-thought in a studio recording. On the other hand, I’d say what I like about studio recordings is that it gives you more time to dial in tones and experiment with sounds before laying down the track. 

 

Q) On your YouTube channel you have done covers from such artists as Stevie Wonder and Fleet Foxes. If you could do a cover of your favorite musical guilty pleasure, what would it be?

 

Madeline: I think I’ve gotta say Dua Lipa. She’s incredible and the bass lines are so sick.

 

Tristan: Definitely “In My Place” by Coldplay. [laughs]

 

Q) What artists/musicians would you love to collaborate with in the future and why?. 

 

Mitch: Daft Punk or Phoenix would be awesome. Both bands have a really good ear for creating some iconic sounds. I’ve always thought of them as great sources for inspiration.

 

Madeline: For me, I would definitely say Billie Eilish or Arlo Parks. Both of them are such talented songwriters and musicians that inspire me a lot.

 

Tristan: Ruban Nielson of Unknown Mortal Orchestra would be so fun to work with. It would be fun to hash out a song with him and see what happened. Adrianne Lenker would also be awesome – as she is a huge personal inspiration- but I’d probably be too intimidated because of how incredible of a songwriter she is. 

 

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters of your music?

 

Madeline: THANK YOU! Seriously. We wouldn’t be able to support ourselves without y’all, and you are making our wildest dreams come true. We love all of you!