New music review with singles from GLU 'PONY BOY' and Karen Dió 'Bexy'
- Julia Mason aka The Decibel Decoder
- Mar 31
- 4 min read
Our weekly fix of the best new music as Julia Mason (aka The Decibel Decoder) brings us her new music review with singles from GLU PONY BOY and Karen Dió Bexy
Artist: GLU
Track: PONY BOY
GLU, the genre-blending solo project of Michael Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age, Mini Mansions), returns with an infectious, hook-laden new single PONY BOY released via FLG (Skunk Anansie, Corella, As It Is).
The new track blends punchy riffs with contagious, synth-leaning melodies, striking a balance that has made GLU’s sound so infectious. Beneath its melodic surface is a story of being thrust prematurely into the spotlight, as a once carefree life gives way to pressure, scrutiny, and a growing need for distance.
“I am a pretty private person”, Shuman explains. “This song discusses the ways in which that privacy has been attempted to be broken and infiltrated. Living in Los Angeles, and growing up here has made it somewhat difficult to navigate them. Especially being in this business, people want to know everything about you. Where you went last night, what you had for breakfast, who you’re dating. I think it’s really important to keep some sort of anonymity. I’m not a big fan of putting myself out there on social media, yet I know that it’s part of the modern music business promotion. I’ve seen this with other people in my life and it can quickly steal away a piece of your identity.”
GLU first emerged in early 2023 with debut EP MY DEMONS, a raw and revealing release exploring struggle, loss, addiction, and childhood trauma. In 2025, GLU hit a new high point with the single BOOGIE MAN, an infectious, dance-forward track about losing yourself in the moment and letting go of self-consciousness. Drawing comparisons to Jamiroquai, Gorillaz, and Mac Miller, the track pushed GLU past 3 million global streams. With its fearless approach to reinvention and emotional honesty, GLU continue a year of exciting activity, whilst blurring genres, stripping away pretence, and creating music that feels both personal and relatable.
* * *
Artist: Karen Dió
Track: Bexy
Brazilian punk sensation Karen Dió is back. What began as a playful freestyle for a fan has now evolved into Bexy, her electrifying new single that is a raw, unapologetic mosh anthem for her fanbase as a whole.
Speaking of her new single Karen shares: “A few years ago, me and my husband had a Patreon page. We used to share about our lives and hang with our Patrons in live video calls quite often. In one of these live calls, we decided to grab the guitar and improvise a song live, to everyone that joined the call.
"Bex, one of our OG beloved supporters joined the live call, so we immediately began writing Bex a song. Matt started to play the chord progression that you hear in the final song and I also started to sing basically the final version of the vocals, the words beginning to form as we messed around. We wrote the song right there, live, on the call.
"Instead of singing ‘Bex’, I sang ‘Bexy’, a sort linguistic change that happens as my primary language is Brazilian Portuguese. In Portuguese you add an "ee" sound to every word that finishes with consonant haha. So for instance ‘Facebook’ becomes ‘Faceybooky’, ‘Hot Dog’ turns into ‘Hotchy Doggy’... So ‘Bex’ ended up turning into ‘Bexy’. And that was it, the song was almost completed right there on the call.”
Nothing is permanent, and no one knows that better than Karen Dió.
“I have to be so unattached to friends, things, and objects,” Dió admits, after moving numerous times growing up and whilst starting her music career. The Brazilian punk rocker on the rise has always lived with transient energy, but especially lately, as she adjusts to the ebb and flow of life after having her 2023 single Sick Ride go wildly viral.
“Sick Ride is a little bit outside what I normally do,” Dió admits. "It was quite out of my world and I really didn't know what it was going to be. When I saw all the great feedback and millions and millions of people watching and playing the songs and stuff... it’s just crazy.”
Crazy might even be an understatement she admits, after catching the attention of some of her all-time favourite artists like Sum 41, Incubus, KennyHoopla, and even Fred Durst, a testament to the mass appeal Dió has conjured up with her magic. With the support of a few famous friends, her label (Hopeless Records), and high praise from the likes of Kerrang!, Dió is proudly bringing the brimming punk rock scene in Brazil to the world. Representing her Latin roots is, perhaps, the most important part of her artistry. “If I can open that door for Latin American artists, then I’ve accomplished my goal,” she says.
Karen Dió Live Dates
JULY
7 BRISTOL The Croft
8 CHELTENHAM 2000 Trees Festival
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