From their debut performance on Christmas Eve 1999 at a Haight Street venue in San Francisco, the Flipsides have charged ahead with buoyant power pop numbers delivered at full throttle. Fronted by Sabrina Stewart on vocals and guitar alongside bassist Mark Bradin and drummer Jim Lindsay, the trio channels Elvis Costello’s approach by pairing bright melodies and sharp guitar bursts with biting cynicism. They also carry forward his punk-inflected take on rock and roll, an attitude that aligns them sonically with outfits such as the Eyeliners, though their strongest moments arrive when they tap into 1960s rhythms and Kinks-styled pop songcraft. Following the independent release of a five-song EP, Pink & Black Records signed the band and issued their first album, Clever One, in July 2002. Later that year, additional tracks appeared on several compilations, among them Fat Wreck Chords’ Squawk Among Us, End Records’ Empty Hearts, Broken Bottles, and Adeline Records’ Every Dog Will Have Its Day.
