Meet glaive, a 17-year-old from Hendersonville, North Carolina who’s tearing into the world of hyperpop. Born Ash Gutierrez, glaive gained a following after posting his songs to Soundcloud in the early days of the pandemic. The 2020 track “clover” earned a viral following and kickstarted glaive’s fame. It earned him a record deal with Interscope, where he released his first EP, Cypress Grove in 2020. But fast forward two years with a couple more EP’s under his belt, glaive returns with a new single.
“minnesota is a place that exists”
glaive may be labeled as a hyperpop artist, but part of his magnetism comes from his ability to seamlessly blend in elements of hip-hop, rock, and electronic music. This track is short but addicting with screaming vocals about a lover who isn’t there for him emotionally. “I fucking hate it when you/ Tell me I’m upset when I’m just getting shit off my chest,” he sings in the chorus. He then follows that up by dreaming about killing her and telling her parents she fled to Minnesota. Definitely some dark thoughts, but the high-energy pop track will have you bopping your head anyway. And the single comes with a music video that feels like a feature film even though it comes in at under 3 minutes
Here’s what he had to say about the track: “This was the second song I made for the glaive album. Making “minnesota” was a weight off my shoulders because I realized that I was still good at music. It’s the perfect song for the next phase of my career and life.”
What’s Next for glaive
There are big things ahead for glaive. He recently collaborated with rapper turned pop-punk star Machine Gun Kelly on his latest single, “more than life.” And glaive outshines MGK by a longshot on this one. As soon as Machine Gun Kelly sings, “J.F.K., they might find my brains in the backseat,” in the first verse, I was ready to turn it off. But glaive saves the track with his impassioned performance.
After a couple UK tour dates in July and a set at Lollapalooza, glaive heads out on the “America Is A Place That Exists” tour. Click here to see a full list of tour dates and ticket options.
