Buzzword Archives [Ten Years Ago] Glitter Bats Take the Internet by Storm!
Buzzword Archives
[Ten Years Ago]
Glitter Bats Take the Internet by Storm!
By Mary Kate Hampton, college intern
If you haven’t heard “Midnight Road Trip” yet, you might be living under a rock. Glitter Bats, an indie pop-punk-inspired band hailing from Seattle, is going viral with a homemade music video of their debut single, which has been featured on an episode of Riverwood . And who can resist that bridge? “I’ll take any road / as long as it’s with you…” is destined to live on in social media captions for years. The harmony Caleb Sloane sings over Valerie Quinn’s melody gave me chills the first time I heard it.
Started by best friends Quinn and Sloane (who co-lead, sing, and play guitar and bass, respectively), Glitter Bats also features Keeley Cunningham on drums, Riker Maddox on rhythm guitar, and Jane Mercer on keys and synth. The group first connected two and a half years ago at an exclusive summer camp for standout high school music students, and when they realized they had magic on their hands, the band was born. Before they went viral, they earned local praise playing in coffee shops, opening for groups touring the PNW, and winning a Battle of the Bands fundraiser for an animal shelter. All the band members are in their teens—Mercer and Maddox are nineteen, and Cunningham and Sloane are eighteen, with Quinn coming in youngest at seventeen—but they seem remarkably grounded for kids finding success at such a young age.
When this reporter reached out to the band for comment, both Quinn and Sloane were eager to talk.
“All this attention is so much more than we ever dreamed of!” said a wide-eyed Quinn in a video call earlier this week. She wore all black, with her signature pale pink hair styled in messy curls. The excited energy she brought to our conversation was palpable, and it’s no wonder she connects so well with an audience.
“I agree—it’s all about music resonating with people, and we couldn’t have imagined this response. We’re so grateful for our fans. God, I can’t believe we have fans,” Sloane added. He wore a Blink-182 T-shirt and eyeliner, his brown hair falling to his shoulders in a mop of haphazard curls. When I asked about plans for an album, the two shared a conspiratorial look.
They didn’t confirm anything, but rumor has it that Glitter Bats was recently signed by Label Records, so stay tuned for updates. I know I’ll be one of the first to preorder anything new the band puts out.
The band can be found all over social media at @GlitterBatsMusic.