This piece was originally featured in AM01 — Issue One of Ascribe. Click here to read it alongside the rest of the issue.
Shadowglow, flipturn’s debut album released in August of 2022, reflects the feeling of being caught in between youth and adulthood.
The album starts and ends incredibly, and has to be one of my favorite albums of the year. 51 minutes and 42 seconds of grooving — with maybe a little bit of crying.
The talent and songwriting this group processes is incredible. On first listen, “The Fall” immediately brought me in and “Orbit” sent me away. My favorite tracks toward the end of the album include “Halfway,” “In Consideration,” and “Hallow.”
However, the fourth entry on the fourteen- song tracklist stood out to me. With a title like “Sad Disco,” I knew it had to be good.
“Sad Disco” is certainly a bop. Instantly, the guitar melody and beat of the drums hook you into the song and get you grooving. “Sad Disco” is about the act of falling in love with someone, and wanting to skip forward in your life so you can be forever with that person. The lyrics explain it in a beautiful way to a catchy and feel-good rhythm. The lead guitar is also absolutely beautiful during the pre- chorus.
I saw flipturn on their most recent headlining tour. Having seen flipturn twice now (once earlier in the year opening for Rainbow Kitten Surprise), I knew it was going to be a fantastic show. The energy in their live performance certainly makes them stand out.
When they started “Sad Disco,” the energy was radiating off of the band and matched by the audience.
As the drums built up toward the breakdown at the end of the song, Dillon Basse sang “it was helpless, it was helpless,” until the song explodes into energetic guitar, piano and harmonies.
The music video for “Sad Disco” takes inspiration from 1950’s sci-fi horror.
Exaggerated cuts, zooms, and slow motion elevate the suspense as the alien enters the house and kidnaps the heroine. The use of lighting in the video is my favorite aspect. The use of backlighting the figures exaggerates the intimidation and scariness to the alien creature and sets a haunting mood inside the cabin. Especially seen once the camera centers on the female protagonist after most of the rest of the group head inside, the back lighting creates a halo around the back of her head. Again it is seen at the end of the video when bright beams emitting from the house backlight the whole team, while they race to defeat the monster and save their friend.
At the end of the video, the group is blasted with light as the spacecraft flies away. The shot of the popcorn bag on the ground has to be my favorite. I have never seen such magnificent frames depicting that subject.
The “Sad Disco” music video contains all that I love from a good music video. I love when a band creates a story and plot for the video, rather than just releasing a video of them playing the song. I can tell flipturn loved filming it, and you can see that in the effort that was put into it.
It’s a fun story that is reminiscent of old horror movies I have seen, telling the tale of a group of teenagers on vacation where something goes terribly wrong.
Instead of Jason Voorheeves, it’s an alien from outer space — what could be better?
This alien also happens to be kidnapping someone for the hopes of love … but that’s not exactly the best way to do it.
You can stream “Shadowglow” here:
