On “Asheville,” the newest single and first release of the year from Glaive, the hyperpop wunderkind returns home. The single is named after his North Carolina origins; Born Ash Blue Gutierrez, Glaive is from Hendersonville, North Carolina, which is a little south of Asheville. The track, which follows last year’s sophomore LP May It Never Falter, finds the young musician reflecting on his whirlwind career after his meteoric rise during the pandemic.
Immediately, “Asheville” is one of Glaive’s strongest singles. The track opens with a sample of the military cadence about leaving home before exploding into a zigzag of heart-palpitating drum hits and womps. The song is packed with multilayered, morbid quips about past mistakes. “I left my home, everyone was sweet, I went back/ Partially ’cause of the love, partially ’cause of the tag/ (Fuck, fuck, fuck-fuck) Don’t ask me where I’m at/ Accountant told me this is just life, everything returns into Ash,” goes a poignant verse. Glaive’s delivery is slippery and anxious.
“Upon returning to my hometown, I had this newfound confidence mixed with a bit of shame for making ‘fuck this town’ because in the end, Asheville, NC actually is quite a nice place,” he shared. “At one point it felt like a simple song about moving home and upon reflection months later it felt quite angry and I’m not sure why. It encapsulates the feelings felt coming home. It is strangely confusing to try to make a place new that you have known for your entire life.”…