Louis Glasby Drops Pop-Punk Charged New Single ‘New Signing’ — A Sharp Take on Industry Highs and Lows

Birmingham-based alt-rock artist Louis Glasby returns with his second single of the year, ‘New Signing’, landing April 18 across all streaming platforms. Packed with punchy, pop-punk energy and biting wit, the track tells the story of a rising artist’s rapid ascent—and equally swift downfall, offering a tongue-in-cheek yet pointed commentary on the music industry.

Following the success of his debut ‘Lower Your Expectations’, Glasby continues to carve out a sound rooted in raw, unfiltered songwriting—drawing from indie greats like Buzzcocks, The Smiths and Oasis, while channeling the urgency of Blink-182 and Green Day.

We caught up with Louis to talk about the inspiration behind ‘New Signing’, his evolving sound, and navigating the industry as an independent artist.

‘New Signing’ tells a pretty sharp story about the highs and lows of being picked up — what inspired you to explore that experience, and how personal is it to you?

I can't claim to have personally experienced what the song entails. But you hear insider stories all the time of people getting signed to labels with promise of success, only to be dropped almost as quickly as they were picked up. With that theme in mind, I thought it'd be funny if the song were a character-piece; written from the perspective of the kind of smug, arrogant kid you encounter at a local gig night who thinks he's invincible. Rendering the inevitable dropping from the label all the more amusing.

The track leans into a pop-punk energy compared to your debut — was that a conscious shift in sound, or just what felt right for this story?

The more Pop-Punk infused sound on this one was born out of a desire for all my songs to sound different; however sonically similar they may be. I try not to repeat myself (especially lyrically) on any song of mine if I can help it. Not to mention, I'm a big fan of Blink-182 circa 'Dude Ranch' through to 'Take Off Your Pants and Jacket'. But that doesn't always come through in my music. With my main influences being a lot of British music. So I thought it'd be fun to pay homage to that.

Your music embraces rawness and imperfection — why is that important to you in a time where so much production is polished to perfection?

I feel like if you have to lean quite heavily on production then it's probably because you subconsciously feel as if your song is lacking in some other area. Any song worth its weight should stand up on its own two feet and engage people with a catchy hook or poignant lyric. Look at Oasis; one of the biggest bands this country ever produced. The production on '(What's The Story) Morning Glory' is objectively shoddy. But the songs carry it forward. Good quality production is an essential asset, don't get me wrong. But it shouldn't be at the forefront of any songwriter's priorities.

You’ve cited influences from Buzzcocks through to Oasis and Blink-182 — how do those different eras and sounds come together in your songwriting?

Many aspects of those aforementioned bands come into play; all in different ways. There's a sarcasm and quintessentially British dryness to my lyrics which you could cite Alex Turner and Morrissey as being influences for. The intensely dense vocal delivery with thousands of words packed into one line is something I attribute to the likes of Paul Weller and Pete Shelley. Whereas the very chuggy rhythm guitar playing and solos which favour power in simplicity are owed to Bernard Sumner. All of which make up the Louis Glasby sound.

With ‘New Signing’ acting as a kind of message to independent artists, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far navigating the industry on your own terms?

I've been recording, releasing music and gigging since the age of seventeen. Now that I'm twenty-three, I'd say the biggest lesson I've learnt in that time has been to collaborate and network with as many like-minded people as possible. To have self belief and be confident, but not be a snob. And to take on as many opportunities as possible. Because the competition could not be any steeper. Don't wait around for things to happen, they won't. Make them happen if you can help it.