Artist Presale: May 27 @ 12:00 PM PTRAPSEASON &\; MRG Presale: May 28 @ 10:00 AM PT
Esoteric melodies collide
with moody beats and a dynamic flow in GLU\; the solo project from Michae
l Shuman (Queens Of The Stone Age\, Mini Mansions). With no major concentr
ation of genre aside from melding them\, Shuman unravels ribbons ofrhyme a
nd musicianship that are introspective and engaging. The EP entitled MY DE
MONS released early 2023. &ldquo\;For me\, the project was about being on
my own terms\; having my own momentum\,&rdquo\; explains Shuman. &ldquo\;M
usically\, I wanted to do something that was challenging and something tha
t scared me. I usually start out writing riffs but for GLU I had to write
a lot of lyrics. Sitting on a computer\, starting with a beat and using sy
nthesizers and keyboards opened up so many new possibilities. This is some
thing that is different because I do come from punk rock\, but I&rsquo\;m
doing this... so it&rsquo\;s not going to sound like your typical DJ or Hi
p-Hop producer. I want it to feel fresh\, and that&rsquo\;s the most excit
ing thing for me.&rdquo\;
The back and forth of Shuman&rsquo\;s soft \, ariose soundscapes lead way to catchy lyrics touching on subjects of st ruggle\, loss\, addiction\, and trauma\, hence\; MY DEMONS. Emotional expl osions emerge in a realm of calm hip hop with upbeat\, poppy moments. &ldq uo\;A lot of this is me speaking as an adult now\, but it&rsquo\;s talking about me as a child. I&rsquo\;m at an age where I don&rsquo\;t care as mu ch about masking things\, lyrically.&rdquo\; With guest vocalist Sarah Bar thel (vocalist of Phantogram) lending a soothing voice to the self-titled intro\, the well rounded tone of the EP lays out a curious\, sonic fantasy . &ldquo\;I like the idea of different voices coming in and Sarah is a rea l singer\,&rdquo\; states Shuman. &ldquo\;She can do anything and it sound s great. She was really helpful in elevating these songs.&rdquo\; Mixed by Adam Thane and mastered by Dale Becker.
The first single of 2025 &l dquo\;BOOGIE MAN&rdquo\;\, is an infectious genre bending power track that chronologies the feeling of losing yourself in the moment\, and not havin g any outside worries or anxieties about who may be watching or what they may think. Akin to artists like Jamiroquai\, Gorillaz\, and Mac Miller.
GLU has had the chance to play these songs live on tours with Phantogr am\, The Blue Stones\, Miles Kane and Blood Red Shoes. "Boogie Man is a da nce song about stepping outside yourself\, letting loose\, and not taking yourself too seriously. Life is short.... Who cares about what others thin k.&rdquo\; says Shuman.
The track was selected for a sync placement on the latest instalment of the beloved video game series MLB The Show &ls quo\;25 and features alongside artists including Kendrick Lamar\, De La So ul and COIN.
Riding the momentum into Spring &\; Summer 2025\, GL U took Boogie Man to clubs and venues across the UK and USA\, selling out release shows in London\, Chicago &\; Los Angeles. Heading into 2026 Sh umans team expands\, GLU inks a recording deal with FLG (Skunk Anansie\, C orella\, As It Is) and celebrates this by releasing a cover version of the classic 90&rsquo\;s hit &lsquo\;Crush&rsquo\; by Jennifer Paige.
&l
squo\;Looking for the right cover song is an interesting task.&rsquo\; Say
s Shuman &lsquo\;You are searching for a song\, which inherently is so dee
ply personal to the person who wrote it\, yet it has to connect with you e
nough to try and make it your own. Not so much musically\, but lyrically.
The music side is the fun part\, where you augment it to a completely diff
erent landscape\, giving a totally different perspective to the original.
Crush is an amazing pop song written by Jennifer Paige\, but was produced
at a time where I don&rsquo\;t think it got its due. That being said it wa
s a huge hit that most of the world knows well. I think that&rsquo\;s the
other factor in choosing\, so that when you play live to an audience who m
ay not know your material\, there&rsquo\;s that one song in the set they a
lready are a fan of.&rsquo\;
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