Heavy, dramatic, and achingly vulnerable, “Girl I Need to Know” radiates grunge energies as The Flops spark a match and watch it fade away.
Stream: “Girl I Need to Know” – The Flops
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With a name as coy as theirs, it’s hard not to flip for The Flops. Active since 2019, the trio from Staunton, Virginia have spent the past two years refining their indie rock sound, and this could very well be their year. Churning with the flickering lights of softly smoldering embers, the band’s new single is a smoky slow-burn that brings us straight into a world mid-’90s nostalgia: Heavy, dramatic, and achingly vulnerable, “Girl I Need to Know” radiates grunge energies as The Flops spark a match and watch it fade away.
Are you lonelier than fire
Someone else’s world entire
Have you begged for your bread
Laid down in the wrong bed
Girl I Need To Know…
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Girl I Need to Know,” The Flops’ first single of 2022 and their latest offering since September 2020’s explosive “Dead Man.” Smoother sounding and more refined than their earlier work, “Girl I Need to Know” feels like something of a refresh from Tony Boll, Preston Fauver, and Devin Ritts; if they used to reflect a 3 AM aesthetic, they now feel more like the stroke of midnight, when you’re just starting to burn the midnight oil, there’s romance and excitement in the air, and anything – literally, anything – could happen.
The Flops’ music has long reflected strong ’90s alternative inspirations and influences – from Nirvana and Pearl Jam, to Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, and beyond. Tony Boll certainly sounds a bit like Eddie Vedder in his vocalizations – and the band’s guitar work here is ever-so reminiscent of Vedder’s effected guitars on Ten and Vs. – but through well-developed emotional melodies, sultry saxophone playing, and a deeply resonant rhythm section, The Flops manage to stand out on their own.
Have you ever hurt anyone
seeking attention
You ever left without saying goodbye
Drink a bottle of pain bone dry
Girl I Need to Know…
As Boll explains, “Girl I Need to Know” is quite a long time coming.
“This song was originally written as a poem by my former professor, and friend, Dr. Jerry Williams,” The Flops’ frontman tells Atwood Magazine. “Jerry is a successful poet and tenured professor, he is also the head of the Creative Writing Department at Marymount Manhattan College, NYC. He brought it out of his “box of stuff” for me to use as a song, and with a few tweaks the song took on the form it has today. We laid the track down at Panorama Studios with producer Jake Policky and invited saxophonist Caleb Dance, who improvised the entire track in a single take.”
And if I gave you a ride
How far would we need to drive
So I could make you understand
No flame or fire could burn away my hand…
There’s no singular recipe to success when it comes to music, but between the band’s visceral performance, Caleb Dance’s breathtaking saxophone work, and Williams’ cryptic, yet evocative poetry, “Girl I Need to Know” hits all the marks for sonic seduction. The Flops have come into 2022 with a fiery flare, and we can’t wait to lend this song – and the band – repeat listens as the months progress. Burning with raw passion, “Girl I Need to Know” promises to fan our inner flames and keep us yearning for more – more connection, more understanding, more love, and more alt-rock wonder.
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Stream: “Girl I Need to Know” – The Flops
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