Mal Blum is an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

, musician, writer and performer from New York. Blum has released six full-length albums, most recently ''Pity Boy'' in 2019.

Career

They spent their early career promoting self-booked

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

solo tours and also self-released their early albums before signing to

record labels A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...

. In 2014, they signed to punk label

Don Giovanni records Don Giovanni Records is an independent record label originally specializing in punk rock from the New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene but eventually working with a variety of artists from different genres. History Don Giovanni Records was fo ...

and announced they would be working on a new album produced by

Marissa Paternoster Marissa Paternoster (born August 1, 1986) is an artist, singer and guitarist active in New Jersey's New Brunswick music scene. She is the lead singer and guitarist in the bands Screaming Females and Noun. Biography Paternoster's parents met whi ...

of the band

Screaming Females Screaming Females is an American rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey comprising Marissa Paternoster on guitar and vocals, Jarrett Dougherty on drums, and Mike Abbate on bass. They released their debut album '' Baby Teeth'' in 2006. The ban ...

. After the Don Giovanni release of ''You Look a Lot Like Me'' in 2015, Blum began touring nationally as a band with a bassist and drummer, contributing to what critics called a "more developed but still gritty, punk" sound. Blum was a recurring musical and non-musical guest on ''

The Chris Gethard Show ''The Chris Gethard Show'' was a phone-in comedy and variety talk show created and hosted by Chris Gethard. Initially a live show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York, the show debuted on public-access channel Manhattan Neighborh ...

''. and has had their music featured on

Logo TV Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment progr ...

's The Click List: Top 10 Videos and NewNowNext Music They have also appeared as a musical guest on the

Welcome to Night Vale ''Welcome to Night Vale'' is a podcast presented as a radio show for the fictional town of Night Vale, reporting on the strange events that occur within it. The series was created in 2012 by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. Published by Night Val ...

(WTNV) podcast and toured extensively opening for WTNV's National and International live shows in 2018 and 2019. In February 2019 Blum released a new single, "Things Still Left To Say," and in March 2019 they toured with Lucy Dacus. That year they released the album ''Pity Boy'', recorded with Joe Reinhart of Hop Along at

Headroom Studios Headroom Studios is a music recording studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was originally started by Kyle Pulley and Joe Reinhart in 2008 in a room in a live/work artist warehouse collective, located in North Philadelphia, until it moved to ...

in Philadelphia. Pitchfork's Abby Jones categorized Pity Boy as a shift "into potent pop-punk that recalls both Hop Along and Titus Andronicus." noting the newfound focus on guitarist Audrey Zee Whitesides' electric riffs, while maintaining the lyrics as "the album's centerpiece" writes Jones,

''If the electric guitar had evolved into a supporting actor by Blum’s last album, 2016’s You Look a Lot Like Me, then it’s the lead on Pity Boy. The nimble, vigorous riffs ..ricocheting like rubber balls around “I Don’t Want To” and “Not My Job” with Blum’s vocals surging in countermelody.''

Max Cohen, in their review for Bandcamp's "Album of the Day" series, writes of Pity Boy's production value:

''It’s punk in spirit, but the production is rich and warm, wrapping the power chords and solos in a sunny, welcoming fuzz. At their best, as on the jangly opener “Things Still Left to Say,” they sound like The Buzzcocks, if The Buzzcocks opted for compassion instead of bile.''

In August 2020, Mal Blum was tapped to write music for Season 2 of Netflix's Trinkets television show. They wrote the song "Passenger Seat" to be used in a recurring story arc for the character Elodie. On Oct 20, 2020 Blum announced a new single to be released on Saddle Creek Records as part of the label's 7 inch series. They have contributed non-musical written work to

Autostraddle Autostraddle is an independently owned online magazine and social network for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women ( cis and trans), as well as non-binary people and trans people of all genders. The website is a "politically progressive queer femin ...

, '' Huffington Post'', and ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

''.

Personal life

Blum is openly

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

and queer. They attended State University of New York at Purchase. They are

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. Of their songwriting style, a recent reviewer writes:

''Although their songs’ subject matters often touch on heavier subjects, Blum’s dry approach to otherwise difficult topics typifies Jewish humor.''

Blum was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age, but has only spoken occasionally about it in interviews.

Discography

*''Ain't It Nice'' (2022) #Stockpiled Guns & TV Dinners #Candy Bars & Men #Everybody Loves You (ft Laura Stevenson) #Anybody Else #Hollywood #The Road
*''Nobody Waits'' (2020) #Nobody Waits #San Cristóbal
* ''Pity Boy'' (2019) #Things Still Left To Say #Not My Job #See Me #Odds #Splinter #Black Coffee #Did You Get What You Wanted #I Don't Want To #Salt Flats #Well, Fuck #Gotta Go #Maybe I'll Wait
*''You Look A Lot Like Me'' (2015) #Archive #Better Go #Robert Frost #Cool Party #Split, Splitting #Reality TV #Iowa #Better Than I Was #New Orleans #The Shrink Thinks
*''Tempest In A Teacup'' (2013) #Overseas Now #Side I'm On #Altitude (This Party Sucks) #The Bodies, The Zombies! #Counting My Breaths #Brooklyn #With Samson In Washington State #The Difference #Valentine's Day
*''Every Time You Go Somewhere'' (2010) #San Cristóbal #Watercolors #Baltimore #New Year's Eve #Fine! #Wait Forever, Baby #Circus Heart Pt. 1 #Circus Heart Pt. 2 #I Got Drunk #Weary
*''Goodnight Sugarpop'' (2008) #Cut it off #Dysmorphic #Country Song #Hypocrite #My Name is Earthworm #Waiting In Line #The Suburban Summer Polka #Tumbleweed #Ode to Kulele * video reached number 10 on LOGO's Video of Year for 2009 #You Should Be Here #The Jugular #I have been listening

Notes

References

External links