Nuum has fit a lot of living into his 23 years.
After growing up in Dunsborough, WA, he spent stints living in rural France and Tokyo, before finally returning home to hone his craft.
This is perhaps what makes his style so distinct. It’s futuristic pop with an edge, gritty enough for the misfits and cool kids, but bubbly enough to sit comfortably at the popular table as well.
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Nuum’s debut album, Heart Tape, dropped in October last year. Swinging from glossy, party-ready tracks like Mirror and Self Care to heartfelt moments like Sweater and Perfect Holiday, it’s a medley of meaty synths and melodic riffs – the kind of debut that makes listeners pay attention.
Partway through his Australian tour, we caught up with Nuum to talk about his unique creative path and all the friends who have shaped his work along the way.
Nuum Australia 2024 Tour
- Jan 4 – The Bird, Perth
- Jan 11 – The Vanguard, Sydney
- Jan 18 – Miscellania, Melbourne
Hi Nuum! How’s your day been so far?
Today has been beautiful. I’m really tired and the weather’s sort of reflected that today, but it’s strange how much you can do in a day regardless of fatigue. I worked this morning then went into the city to get udon with a friend and ended up somewhere else getting a drink with another friend. I love my friends!
To kick things off, how would you describe your music? Bonus points if you answer in recipe format.
Start with a heart locket and stuff it full of sincerity, emotions and electronic bleeps and bloops. If there’s room left, put in some emotive piano ballads, tons of swag, a pinch of sadness and powerful pop songwriting to mesh every element together. It should leave a sweet but melancholic taste on your tongue.
What first got you into making music? Was there a specific artist/song/moment you remember that first piqued your interest?
I learnt classical piano up until I was 12, but it was when my grade 7 teacher showed me Flume – Sleepless that really opened a galaxy in my brain to electronic music. Outside of my dad playing Kraftwerk and INXS remixes growing up I was listening to indie rock sort of stuff like Snakadaktal before that.
Around the same time, I discovered Skrillex – Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites and remember vividly searching up “top 10 dubstep songs” on YouTube afterwards and finding Lights by Klaypex off their EP Loose Dirt which I obsessed over. When I was 14 I got around to buying a launchkey after messing around with the launchpad app on my dad’s iPad. That came with my first version of Ableton and it went from there.
What was the music scene like where you grew up? How did your hometown influence your work?
I grew up mostly in a rural beachside town in Western Australia – not a lot going on there. I used to do a bunch of community music stuff when I was young and play shows with my ukulele. I can’t say there was really a scene at all that inspired me. I think the lack of music around me that I enjoyed listening to forced me to look outwards to the internet as a scene in itself and expand my horizons that way.
I know you’ve moved around a lot – can you tell us a bit about the places you’ve been and how they’ve impacted your art?
I grew up moving around Australia due to my dad’s work, spent a year in rural France at 17, lived in Tokyo for a year at 19, and have plans to move out to London in 2024. Living in Tokyo probably had the biggest impact on me as I was living with a friend that inspired me to take my music seriously. Thank you Rick.
It’s hard to say though. Maybe it’s a roundabout sort of answer, but I think me moving constantly was the catalyst that pushed me to take so much refuge in making music as the only sort of constant I had growing up.
How does the scene in Melbourne compare to some of the other places you’ve been?
Melbourne is dope. Love all of my beautiful crazily talented friends that make music here. I guess it feels a bit like New York in terms of what the scene is like. Fashion and imagery feels a lot more integrated into the music here as opposed to Sydney which feels a lot more commercial and LA to me.
It’s pretty small here too, so you definitely know everyone and everyone knows you, which is nice (unless you don’t want to be seen). I’m grateful to feel so much support here. But I feel like that same feeling can exist anywhere if you find your people.
You dropped your breakout mixtape, Heart Tape, earlier this year. What was on the moodboard?
Pictures of Kiko Mizuhara and Monika Mogi’s shoot in the snow they put out in their photobook “夢の続き Dream Blue“, the manga Platinum End (namely Cover One), photographer @video.loss (go check him out if you haven’t already), pictures of white shirts and blood and desolate forests covered in snow. I tried to portray sincerity, pureness and vulnerability as the main themes in the imagery.
Who are a few underrated local musicians you think deserve a shoutout?
Doegage debuted his first EP this year and it’s so stunningly put together. Sus1er has always had his finger right on the pulse and is always pushing Australian music boundaries – true Soundcloud legend. Maschinenkriegerin makes super touching ambient music. Twinlite from Adelaide has such good taste and it really shines through in his music and the visual aspects he brings to his music.
I could go on forever. So many talented people out here. Each leg of my Australian tour I’ve tried to curate lineups of artists that I’m also massive fans of, so come along and get down early if you want to be put on to some of the best that Australia has to offer right now.
How does it feel to be touring Australia after so much time abroad?
I’m super happy that we managed to pull this tour together. As a sort of thank you and goodbye to this chapter of my life before I move onto the next. I couldn’t do it without my friends.
To keep up with Nuum, follow him here.
