A Chat with Lump King (09.07.2020)
Lump King is a San Antonio based indie bedroom producer and fiendish hobgoblin. His debut single ‘Slippery’ has been released on the unsuspecting masses. We sat down with Lump King (LK) to talk about the single, his future plans and much more!
OSR: What got you into music?
LK: I can’t really remember not being into music, to be honest. My human parents were musicians themselves and they held musicianship in very high regard. Some of my earliest memories involve listening to the Beach Boys and being blown away by the harmonies.
OSR: Who are you inspired by?
LK: Musically, the people who make an impact on my decision making, are people like James Blake, Frank Ocean, Oneohtrix Point Never, etc. But it seems I can’t ever really be aware of everything that’s snuck its way into the music. Everything that’s really blown me away probably makes some kind of appearance in the songs.
OSR: How did you choose the name Lump King?
LK: King is obviously such an honorific title, but I like how it seems so reduced to be the king of something as mundane or grotesque as lumps. I really like the juxtaposition there.
OSR: As a hobgoblin, what is your creative process like?
LK: Same as for a human, I would imagine. If you are organized and deliberate, creativity can be more like craftsmanship than art. However, if you feel some kind of spiritual inspiration, it can be a terribly painstaking process to create something you only understand in an abstract way. As it turns out, goblins don’t happen to be very organized.
OSR: Are you happy with the final sounds of ‘Slippery’?
LK: I really am, but it’s hard to listen to your own work without being overly critical, so I haven’t heard it in a little while.
OSR: Does ‘Slippery’ hold a special message or meaning?
LK: Yes, it’s referring to the feeling when you’re in a deep depression and it feels like you can’t grasp the concrete reality that everyone else seems to be taking for granted. It’s like you can’t hold onto little moments of contentment.
OSR: What is the most trouble you’ve ever got into?
LK: Ha! You need to get caught to get in trouble. Goblins place a lot of value in creating mischief without getting caught. When was the last time you’ve even seen one?
OSR: If ‘Slippery’ takes off, do you intend doing live shows?
LK: I intend to do live shows either way, but I’ll have to keep developing the show at home until the virus slows down in Texas a little bit.
OSR: What difficulties did you experience during the creation of ‘Slippery’?
LK: The biggest difficulty was powering through self-doubt, really. Now that I’ve made something I’m pleased with, I hope that won’t be the case with the next project.
OSR: Where do you go from here?
LK: I’m currently working on a project with some human friends from Austin TX. They go by XMosaic and they make some noisier beat-focused electronic music. That should be out this fall and I’ve got another EP I’d like to get out by wintertime. Of course, I’d love to be touring as soon as possible as well.
Thanks to Lump King for chatting with us! You can find more about him on his website, Facebook and Spotify.
