{"id":320248,"date":"2026-08-13T10:42:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/320248\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T10:42:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:42:50","slug":"glus-michael-shuman-on-new-pony-boy-ep-album-plans-and-why-queens-of-a-stone-age-wont-headline-stadiums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/320248\/","title":{"rendered":"GLU\u2019s Michael Shuman on new \u2018Pony Boy EP\u2019, album plans and why Queens Of A Stone Age won\u2019t headline stadiums"},"content":{"rendered":"

GLU<\/a>\u2019s Michael Shuman has spoken to NME about his new \u2018Pony Boy EP\u2019, his plans for an album, and returning to intimate venues after playing stadiums with Queens Of The Stone Age<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shuman, who also plays bass in QOTSA and is known to many as \u2018Mikey Shoes\u2019, launched solo project GLU in 2022<\/a> with the single \u2018Cold Sweat\u2019, after releasing three albums with LA psych-pop trio Mini Mansions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He returns this week (August 14) with GLU\u2019s third EP, \u2018Pony Boy EP\u2019, a four-track collection featuring singles in the form of the title track and \u2018LA\u2019, plus a cover of Jennifer Paige\u2019s \u2018Crush\u2019. Most of the original tracks were written as part of the first batch of songs Shuman wrote for the project four years ago, with final track \u2018Bombs Below\u2019 an unreleased track written for Mini Mansions.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything was a little bit mid-tempo, except for \u2018Boogie Man\u2019,\u201d Shuman said of his previous EPs, 2023\u2019s \u2018My Demons\u2019 and 2025\u2019s \u2018Boogie Man\u2019. \u201cSo, with \u2018Pony Boy\u2019, I wanted to do stuff that\u2019s faster-paced, maybe more aggressive. My goal with this is to have any boundaries and just do whatever the fuck I want to do, like how Beck<\/a> does stuff. \u2018Pony Boy\u2019 was a good way to open up tempos and heavier guitars and bring that into the mix.\u201d<\/p>\n

Across the EP, Shuman dissects elements of \u201cbeing in your own personal hell and how to get out of that\u201d, and how being in that \u201cclaustrophobic\u201d space can also sometimes be \u201creally freeing\u201d. \u201cIf you\u2019ve been there so long, it just feels comfortable, it feels like home, and you really do get used to it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On the title track, a mix of grinding guitars and Shuman\u2019s fast-paced rap, he explores having your privacy invaded. \u201cLuckily, I\u2019m not the face of a band, and I think that\u2019s huge \u2013 that I get to be in Queens and not deal with the shit that Josh [Homme, <\/a>frontman] has to deal with, because I do not envy him,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I was dating an actress who was very in the spotlight and famous, and I got thrown into this world that I had never seen before. It was very prevalent in the UK, but then at home [in LA], it all of a sudden started to be at my house and on my street, which I\u2019d never even thought of or experienced.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was scary and so weird, especially for females, and trying to protect somebody where there\u2019s men in public taking pictures, creeping around and being up in their faces. I don\u2019t envy those people, and I don\u2019t want to be any part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked what he would do if GLU did take them to those levels of fame, he replied: \u201cI do want this to be as successful as possible. I think I\u2019ve learned enough. I\u2019m not a 23-year-old kid that got instant fame \u2013 that\u2019s where it becomes an issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI reference him musically, but who I also think does a great job of [maintaining his privacy] is Damon Albarn<\/a>. He\u2019s in the media for interviews and things, but he keeps a pretty private life. So whatever he\u2019s doing, I\u2019m gonna keep watching out and following his lead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018LA\u2019 \u2013 which shows a brighter, more loved-up side to living in the Californian city \u2013 features Lily James, the actress Shuman was formerly in a relationship with. \u201cI made that song for her,\u201d he shared. \u201cShe loves making music as well, so we were just like, \u2018You should sing that part; let\u2019s change some lyrics, and it\u2019ll be good.\u2019 We really enjoyed doing that together. I\u2019ve got nothing but love for her \u2013 we\u2019re great friends, and she\u2019s an amazing person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking about the dichotomy between \u2018Pony Boy\u2019 and \u2018LA\u2019, he added: \u201cThey\u2019re two different perspectives at two different times. It\u2019s almost like you\u2019re dreaming and then all of a sudden a nightmare comes in, and that\u2019s where \u2018Pony Boy\u2019 begins. This carefree life you\u2019re living in LA can get shifted real quickly and get a lot more neurotic and paranoid feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Crush\u2019, meanwhile, continues the more romantic side of the EP and was recorded when Shuman had a crush on someone. \u201cI was like, \u2018OK, these are the words that I would have written at this moment for this person, so I\u2019m just gonna put my own spin on it\u2019,\u201d he said. \u201cDoing covers is a really easy thing for me to do \u2013 I can chameleon my way through those, and it\u2019s really enjoyable because you can take yourself out of it and not have too many emotions, and focus on the music part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JoshJosh Homme and Mikey Shoes of Queens Of The Stone Age at Dolby Theater, November 2025 (Photo by Harmony Gerber\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

A Jennifer Paige song might not be the first track you\u2019d expect Shuman to cover, given his work over the years, but he explained that he prefers to rework songs that aren\u2019t in his typical wheelhouse. \u201cWhat am I gonna do if I do a Depeche Mode<\/a> song \u2013 how the fuck am I gonna beat that?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Shuman showcased the new EP on a short UK and European tour last month, following QOTSA\u2019s stadium dates supporting System Of A Down<\/a>. Ahead of his headline gig at London\u2019s The Lower Third, he reflected on his solo project\u2019s latest run, calling it \u201cthe best shows I\u2019ve had so far\u201d \u2013 something he attributed to \u201cpeople now knowing the songs and singing along\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been playing \u2018LA\u2019 live this whole time, but it wasn\u2019t released,\u201d he said. \u201cNow it\u2019s released, people can sing along. That\u2019s such a great feeling when they sing it back to you. Even for Queens, when we were doing the System shows and having them sing back \u2018No One Knows\u2019, that was amazing in a stadium setting. So then having them sing back in a club setting is amazing, too. No matter what size band you are, it\u2019s the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shuman\u2019s latest run with GLU began just days after QOTSA\u2019s tour with SOAD ended, and he described the contrast in the size of the venues he was playing as \u201ca trip, but fun\u201d. \u201cThere\u2019s such a disconnect in a stadium \u2013 we don\u2019t love playing stadiums,\u201d he admitted. \u201cThat\u2019s not what we would want to do if we were as big as System. We\u2019ve talked about that and we wouldn\u2019t. So it\u2019s a weird thing.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Club shows] are a little scarier because people are right up on you, but I also love it because it feels like what punk rock is \u2013 you can touch the people and people can touch you, and that\u2019s really fun. Coming back to [these size venues], it didn\u2019t feel like, \u2018Oh no, where are all my things and people helping me?\u2019 It just felt like it kicked right back in from when I did shows four months ago.<\/p>\n

Despite his profile in QOTSA, Shuman also recognises that, as GLU, he\u2019s \u201ca new fucking artist\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people who are in bigger or more successful bands try to do side projects, and it\u2019s really difficult,\u201d he said. \u201cThey give up because they go, \u2018Oh shit, this isn\u2019t as comfortable. I\u2019m not making any money; I\u2019m losing money. Where are all of our fans? How come there isn\u2019t an instant translation from that band to this?\u2019 Maybe because I\u2019ve done that with Mini Mansion for so long, I know what that feeling is, and I know that doesn\u2019t work that way. You have to grind it out. It takes a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JoshJosh Homme and Michael Shuman of Queens of the Stone Age perform onstage during a 51st season taping of Austin City Limits (Photo by Rick Kern\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

As an artist who grew up in DIY and punk spaces prior to joining Queens Of The Stone Age, he added, he \u201calways expected to just be touring in a van and sleeping on floors\u201d. \u201cThat was like, \u2018This is my life; I would love to do that.\u2019 Queens was a surprise and a luxury to get thrown into a different atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the \u2018Pony Boy EP\u2019, Shuman shared he has been working on GLU\u2019s debut album. \u201cI have 30 songs in the bank, and I just gotta choose and go for it,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s my goal, and I want to make sure it\u2019s levelled up from these EPs.\u201d<\/p>\n

GLU\u2019s \u2018Pony Boy EP\u2019 is out on August 14 via FLG.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GLU\u2019s Michael Shuman has spoken to NME about his new \u2018Pony Boy EP\u2019, his plans for an album,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320249,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[599,9,24,63,122,124,123,601],"class_list":["post-320248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-indie","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-rock"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}