Flipturn is back with their sophomore full-length, Burnout Days, and they’re kicking their psychedelic rock up a notch.
After multiple EP’s scorched through the indie scene, including their acoustic tinged classic Citrona, Flipturn brought on keyboardist Mitch Duncan for Shadowglow as they explored a trippier, electronic edge of indie rock. Now, they’re leaning even more into a space-age sound as they layer lead singer Dillon Basse’s echoing, falsetto vocals amongst crashing indie guitars and a sharp synthesizer, the pinnacle of which is the opening track “Juno” – one of the band’s most energetic singles yet, tracking the band’s use of hallucinogens as they go “tripping through the timeline”. It sets up the album’s strange mix of nostalgia, emotion, and psychedelia perfectly. “There’s nothing dangerous when life is a day trip” seems to be the band’s motto as they slam on the gas for the rest of the album.
The opener is followed by yet another drug-fueled single, “Rodeo Clown”, in which vocalist Dillon stares his world view pretty clearly – “MDMA made me love you more, it’s all just a chemical feeling” – this form of scientific naturalism is seen on a lot of the band’s hits, and gives the album a unique feel. The evocative, LSD visuals continue on my favorite track of the album, “Inner Wave”, with bouncy guitars providing a backdrop for a crazed concourses.
Even though most of my favorites from the album are when Flipturn is charting a new sound, many of the songs feel like they could easily fit in with the band’s earlier work. “Sunlight” conjures feelings of nostalgia and understanding that sound straight out of Something you Needed and it’s hit “Glistening”. “Right?”’s acoustic riffs would similarly fit right in among Heavy Colors and it’s hard not to wonder if “Moon Rocks” wasn’t actually an outtake from Citrona. Even when they’re channeling their first steps though, Flipturn is sure to take their lyricism to a new level.
It’s a hard album to judge as a self-proclaimed superfan – subjectively, it was a 10/10 the moment it dropped for me. But when you look at similar indie bands of the moment, like Two Door Cinema Club or The Backseat Lovers, it’s clear that Flipturn is competing to shape the modern sound, so I’m gonna leave this album as a solid 9/10. Anyone looking to catch the band as they tour can check them out at Avondale Brewing in Birmingham on April 16!
Photo credits from Flipturn via Youtube
