Earlier in the month, local indie group and Swamp Records flagship artist Flipturn claimed the Destination Okeechobee Round One top spot, securing their place on the south Florida festival lineup and among artists on the rise.
Flipturn is a five-member band that originated out of Ferdinand Beach, Florida. Classmates Dillon Basse, Madeline Jarman, Tristan Duncan and Adrian Walker first joined forces to perform for their high school’s baccalaureate ceremony. When they realized the potential the group had, they brought Taylor Allen on board, and Flipturn was born.
With a sound settled on the edge of the indie rock spectrum, Flipturn released its first Extended Play, “Heavy Colors,” on iTunes last year. Despite being their first major release, “Heavy Colors” features five tracks that show the natural talent and rhythm the group shares. Standout songs like “Vanilla” hint at the potential of the band’s future.
That future may not be so far away. Flipturn is preparing for the release of their next EP. While no release date has been set, the group is confident that the sophomore release will reflect the musical maturity that time has built in the group.
“The more we’ve written, and the more that we’ve just grown together as people and as friends, we see how we fit together musically,” Allen said. “We kind of know the direction we want to be headed and that reflects in the music we make.”
Jarman described the tracks on the new EP as a story of growing up and finding yourself, as well as an appreciation of where and who they came from.
“Almost every song on the EP is about learning, growing up and kind of talking about how we’re still young but we’re still learning,” Basse said.
While working on the EP, Flipturn has not done as many live performances as usual. However, the group will be performing at The Atlantic on Friday night alongside Arrows in Action, The Forum and Babyblu. The show presents an opportunity to get a sneak peek at new music from Flipturn. Allen said the group will be sampling tracks from the upcoming release.
Doors open for the show at 9 p.m. Tickets are available at showclix.com for $8 in advance or $12 on the day of the show.
Flipturn entered the Destination Okeechobee contest through Gainesville label Swamp Records to compete with nearly 3,000 bands for a spot on the Okeechobee Music and Arts Festival lineup. Online voting allowed them to earn their place on the roster somewhere below names like Halsey, Arcade Fire and Snoop Dogg.
Allen described joining the Okeechobee lineup as “surreal.” The waves of support the group saw through social media and the online voting process are keeping Flipturn both grateful and humble.
“You know, we’re playing, but they’re the ones that got us there,” Basse said.
While the members of Flipturn prepare to perform alongside some of their musical idols, Basse said he’s using the Destination Okeechobee experience to remind him that they earned their right to be there.
“We’re not going to be a bunch of, like, fangirls,” Basse said. “We’re going to say, ‘We belong here,’ you know? This isn’t the top. This isn’t the peak. This is only the beginning.”
