Indie Pop Songwriter & McLovins’ Drummer & Lyricist Jake Huffman Drops Catchy New Single ‘Ride Around’

Imagine this familiar scene: you’re cruising to the beach with your friends on a summer day where the water is cool and soft sand awaits you. The windows are down, you’re sitting in the passenger seat, and your friend asks you to turn up the volume on the radio- the song playing perfectly fits the moment. That song is Jake Huffman’s new single “Ride Around”. 

But what is it about Huffman’s sound that can cultivate such a precise feeling through his music? Well, over a decade and a half of crafting songs surely helps.

This up and coming indie-pop artist began his musical journey at just fourteen years old, traveling all along the East Coast as a drummer and lyricist for the rock band The McLovins. From a ripe age, he’s made large strides within the industry; in their hey-day The McLovins shared the stage with massive names in the industry such as Blink 182, The Flaming Lips, and BB King.

Post-adolescence, Huffman found himself wanting to evolve his own sound as a solo artist in 2019. By working with music producing marvels such as Andy Seltzer, Maggie Rodgers, Chelsea Cutler and more, this wunderkind has released an EP and a number of singles that dig into a very deep and personal part of himself. Whether it be a plucked acoustic guitar like in his melancholy single, “The Coast,” or full instrumentation that permeates feel-good vibrations like his new release “Ride Around”, Huffman’s rich and slightly grating voice projects raw emotion and artistry over any instrumental.

While it seems much of his previous works have been rather sentimental, “Ride Around” is an interesting and pleasing shift into a different concept, theme, and energy. The song essentially tells a delightfully bubbly story of a boy with a crush- a boy seeking a companion. The production of the song is simple, it’s the catchy melody and the laid back lyrics that make “Ride Around” an excellent soundtrack for any adventure with your mates.  

Coming from a band that had a unique sound and an established following with a bright future ahead, it can be a difficult task to forge one’s own sound as an individual when you’ve been accustomed to collaboration. 

Huffman has been faced with this often inevitable detour, but one should listen closely, because in his solo efforts he shows very real promise, as he is beginning to reveal his individuality with a versatile, emotionally raw, and exciting sound. Don’t be surprised to see him pop up more and more.