"Subway Rider", breakout single by Matt Gumley, explores the modern and classic elements of songwriting, while delivering the listener captivating vocals and a catchy groove you won't be able to get out of your head. At 19 years old, already a veteran of both the stage and screen, Gumley is no stranger to performing in front of crowds. Always engaging and entertaining, both live and in the music he creates, Matt Gumley is certain to be a new artist you won't want to miss.

In one sense, Matt Gumley is a newcomer. His first single, “Subway Rider,” comes from his first EP, Six Degrees of Separation. In another sense, though, the 19-year-old singer and songwriter is already an experienced entertainer, with hundreds of performances to his name.

Gumley’s pop debut represents a new direction in an already well-established career. After landing a role in the Beauty and the Beast musical on Broadway when he was just 7, Gumley spent most of the next decade performing, with roles in three more Broadway shows, various regional theater productions, a couple of movies, a slew of TV appearances and even two video games.

Now he’s making magic of his own with the four songs on Six Degrees of Separation. Along with the bright, effervescent pop of “Subway Rider,” Gumley shows his chops on the moody ballad “Gone,” lets his versatile, expressive voice ring out on the expansive, soul-searching “Fallout” and shows just a hint of a rootsier side with the jubilant acoustic guitar that powers “Make You Mine.”

Gumley co-wrote and recorded the songs with the songwriter and producer Austin Zudeck, and recorded them in Zudeck’s studio in New Jersey. Fittingly, the pair met in early 2015 when Gumley struck up a conversation with Zudeck while they were waiting in the ticket line for — what else? — a Broadway show.

He started playing piano when he was 5, and took up ukulele at 14. Next came guitar, then bass, then drums, and he is now proficient on ten instruments. Inspired by vintage acts including the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, and latter-day artists like folk-pop singer Matt Nathanson and the country star Eric Church, Gumley has a clear idea what he wants his music to be. He’s striving for a modern pop-rock sound, mixing “past and present, familiar and unfamiliar.”

As pop music swings back toward an emphasis on live instruments and musicianship, Gumley is perfectly positioned: he knows how to sing, he knows how to play and he certainly knows how to perform.

Despite all his experience, Gumley is really just getting started. He culled the four songs on Six Degrees of Separation from a year’s worth of writing and recording sessions, which means there’s plenty more to come.

https://soundcloud.com/mattgumley/subway-rider