flipturn brings energy to Stubb’s

By Max Black

flipturn, the indie rock powerhouse band, had an energetic start to their concert at Austin’s Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater on February 28. Beginning with fan favorite “Juno,” and carrying straight into “Burnout Days,” the band’s new album is a close look at the band’s exhaustion from constantly touring after their last album.

The group, comprised of bandmates Dillon Basse, Tristan Duncan, Mitch Fountain, Madeline Jarman and Devon VonBalson, began their musical journeys playing house shows at the University of Florida. They released their debut album, “Shadowglow,” in 2022 and the band immediately went on tour.

“We grinded the hell out of “Shadowglow,” and the pace was nonstop,” frontman Dillon Basse said on the band’s website. “The album’s success allowed us to get in front of a lot more people and play a lot more shows … but we weren’t necessarily thinking about the mental repercussions of being gone so often.”

During that exhaustion, flipturn announced their next tour in October of 2024, before “Burnout Days” had even been released. Shows quickly sold out throughout the country and the Austin stop was no exception.

Despite these side effects, the band brought the energy to Stubb’s, with fans matching it in earnest. One of the most magical moments came towards the end of the concert, when drummer Devon VonBalson performed on the barricade, with fans holding his drum and symbols in place.

flipturn closed out the night with “Nickel,” one of their earliest songs and a fan favorite. As the crowd sang along and danced to the music, everything else fell away. The connection the band has with their fans runs deep, and those fans hope to see them back in Texas soon.

flipturn recorded the majority of “Burnout Days” at Sonic Ranch outside El Paso, Texas. “We wanted to create an immersive world,” guitarist and synthesizer player Mitch Fountain said on the band’s website. “We were really intentional with the sounds we wanted for each song, and we paid attention to every single detail.”

Dillon Basse added: “Burnouts can happen whenever you’re so passionate about something that you throw yourself into it 100 percent. That can happen whenever you push yourself too hard, and this record is about being OK with it, and finding ways to cope with it. We love what we do. These songs are stories about the side effects.”

flipturn was last in Austin for ACL, taking command of fans from the main stage at the festival.