Getting to Know Glitch Gum

Luke Huff, alternatively known as artist Glitch Gum, exchanged a couple words with us this past week! We are so excited to share with you the thoughts behind this artist, his musical inspirations, and more! First and foremost, Huff has released his first single as of midnight on May 8th called “Stinkee” and you can stream it anywhere you listen to music. This is his first release off of his self titled “Glitch Gum” EP, that he plans to release later this summer. This track features artists Jart, 205Billy, and Jaws. Let us know when you get a chance to listen to this high energy song, we can’t wait!

So let’s dive right in, we asked Huff how he would describe his music and here’s what he told us:

“My music is energetic, high-pitched, frenetic, crazy, digital, messy, and the most representative of who I am as a person. I use high-pitched, autotuned vocals as a part of my persona. I like to say it’s ‘music for extroverts’. I don't know, it just seems fitting.”

As far as influences go, Huff said Glitch Gum was born out of the EDM sounds of Death Grip, Kero Kero Bonito, and 100 Gecs. Huff told us that artists such as Green Day, Blink-182, and Fall Out Boy, inspired him to begin playing music because of the kind of energy that pop-punk music has.

A super fun fact is that Huff produces 100% of his music from the comfort of his own home. When it comes to mixing and mastering he has the help of Seth Huff and Luke Mcllvenna of Roll Tape Recordings. “They have a much better ear for that stuff and making the tracks sound clean. But as far as all of the programming and vocal effects and structure and sound of songs, that's all me. And that's not like a hedonistic, narcissistic kind of thing. I'm not here to take all the credit. I just think there's some people who know exactly what they want in their heads. And for me, that's like how 95% of my songs come to life. I hear it in my head, so I kinda just make it come to life.”

As an emerging artist, we asked Huff about some of the worst advice he has received. And some of the best of course, here was his response:

“I can't think of any particular thing someone has ever said to me that I didn't like. In general, I just don't like it when people give me suggestions on songs that I feel like I got perfect, or that I know exactly how it should sound, you know? But I've been getting better at that because it helps to get opinions from outsiders and to know how my audience might respond when I put things out. The best advice I've ever gotten has just been stuff about marketing and how to make connections and things of that nature. That stuff is super important as an upcoming artist.”

Though Huff can’t pin point someone’s exact words, he speaks to so many artists that feel their work is perfect. It is hard hearing a criticism on work that time and effort has been put into, but ultimately it is good to know exactly what outsiders are hearing. Huff mentioned how making connections is extremely important for emerging artists, so we asked him is he had any advice for others who are are trying to get their music into the world.

“Work. Work, work, work, and don't stop working. There's a reason artists have managers and agents and stuff like that, because there's so much work to get done! Make your songs. Remake your songs. Get the perfect mix. PROMOTE! Start promoting singles about two weeks in advance, and start promoting albums at least one month in advance. Pay for photoshoots when you can, pay for promotion when you can. Reach out to your fellow creatives who are willing to help you. Pitch your songs to playlists. There are so many practical tools out there for us to get our music out there.”

These are some amazing tips! If you are reading this and you want to start putting your music out there, don’t hesitate, and don’t stop working!

Considering the disappointing circumstances of quarantine, we are bummed we can’t see a live show from Glitch Gum anytime soon but there is hope.

“I am definitely planning to play at least a few shows after quarantine. What I'm really excited about is playing these songs with some instruments. I got my brother playing live drums, which is going to bring some energy to the tracks for sure. We might throw some guitar in there and bass in there. And also, I just got this vocal transformer hardware piece that's going to make it so I can utilize my vocal effects live, which I think is going to be awesome to see.”

So with all of that being said, we are excited to see what a live show with Huff will look like. But for now, his first single “Stinkee” is available everywhere! So get hype in your room and bring all of that energy to a live show in the future!