Josh Conway’s Debut Album is Full of Firsts

Josh Conway feels so fucking plumb right now. That’s plumb with a b—complete, whole, absolute. Fresh off the release of his debut solo album plum—that’s plum without a b—the LA based producer, songwriter, and half of The Marías is facing a brand new feeling: standing at the microphone alone. It’s Conway’s first foray into solo artistry—his first time singing his own lyrics, his first time finalizing songs solo in the studio, his first time reckoning with the darkness of former romances instead of pushing past the feeling.

The lyrics on plum chart Conway’s previously unexplored internal territories. On ‘crumble,’ one of the album’s lead singles, he vacillates between feelings of defiance and conviction: I don’t need you, I won’t leave you—all delivered with a cool sincerity set to a skittering synth beat. That’s the contradiction at the core of plum: the sweetness anchored by a hardened, inedible pit. As Josh steps to center stage to tell his own story, he lets us in on how plum ripened from a concept to a full-fledged album.

You said the new album is called plum for two reasons: it's soft and sweet on the outside but has a big ass pit at its core. Can we talk about that pit?

To me, the pit represents the things we carry with us no matter how much time passes. Old relationships, insecurities, regrets…you can grow from them and learn from them but they never fully disappear. A lot of this album was me finally acknowledging that pit instead of pretending it wasn’t there.

What makes a Josh Conway song different from a The Maria’s song? How do your approaches to writing both differ?

With The Marías, I'm always thinking about what’s right for the band as a whole. Does this guitar tone or drum sound fit into the general world that we’ve built? etc… but it’s not just me who has to answer that either. We're a band, so there are multiple voices and perspectives that go into it. With plum, it really was just me who had to make those decisions, every step of the way.

What are your songwriting rituals?

I actually picked up a new ritual when writing lyrics. After a Joshua Tree writing trip, I ended up with a bunch of tracks that had no lyrics. When it came time to write the lyrics, I would wake up around 5 AM (no phone time), immediately free-write in my journal for 15 minutes, eat a little breakfast, walk my dog Lucy, meditate, and then start writing the lyrics. This changed everything for me. I was able to get all the lyrics done in like a week because for some reason being up that early helped all the words just flow out of me.

You also said the title plum is a nod to life feeling “plumb —aligned, complete. How are you feeling now that the project is out?

I feel so fuckin plumb right now its crazy. I truly don’t really know how to describe it other than that. Writing, recording, and finishing this album is one thing, but releasing it is an entirely different feeling and something I've never felt before. Yes I've released albums before, but being the sole voice and face is a brand new feeling. You know the first time you tried something new and thought oh yeah this is my shit…? That’s how I feel.

How did you pick your two lead singles?

“forget him” and “crumble” both felt like the two most accurate representations of plum. Maybe there are one or two other songs on the record that are catchier, but these two felt like they encapsulated the album the best as a pair.

What was the most surprising challenge you faced?

Honestly, for some odd reason I found that producing the album was the most surprising challenge. I was grateful to have help from my friends Jared Solomon and Paul Cherry, but at the end of the day I still had to make it my own, and I found that part to be the most challenging. It was strange, because as a producer, that's usually the easiest part for me.

What’s the strangest thing that’s ever inspired a lyric?

I was doomscrolling one day and I saw a video of a man getting knocked out. The way his belly was moving as he was lying on the ground inspired the lyric ‘knocked out, belly breathing.’

What did it feel like to be in the studio solo for this?

I wasn't fully solo the whole time, which was nice. I had help from my two friends, Jared and Paul, who are both great producers and songwriters. We've been friends for years and I'm so grateful they were down to help me out with this project. However, in the moments that I was solo, it felt both daunting and also beautiful. I'm very used to producing in the studio alone, but I'm not used to finishing a song or selecting the final mix alone. That part felt very daunting!

What song on the album was the most exciting to write?

“crumble” for sure. The abnormal structure and the way it goes from one section to the next made the writing process exciting from start to finish. It was so fun to make because the way it turned out was the result of not really knowing what the song was gonna be as we were making it. One thing just fell into the next, as opposed to thinking “ok what’s the verse, what's the chorus” etc…

What fears did you have to face in order to put this album out?

Oh man. TOO many. Being publicly vulnerable was a big one. I was originally going to go by a pseudonym, but pretty late into finishing the album I decided to go by my real name. That was a big fear, because I don't really like my real name, but I felt like if I was going to be vulnerable with this project I might as well be fully vulnerable and not hide behind a fake name. Another fear was being vulnerable lyrically. In all my career, I've helped write lyrics, but I was almost never the one singing them. I learned through this project how it feels to be the one to sing the words you write and how much weight that carries. I could go all day on the fears I faced for this project, but I'll leave it at those two.

Who could you not have done this without?

So many people in my life helped me get this project started and finished. I could not have done this without Jared and Paul who helped tremendously on the writing and production for a lot of the songs. Also my managers, Laura and Jonathan, as well as Violeta who works at the label. My list could go on for days of friends who kept me going through the tough moments—special shoutout to one of my best friends Miki. But if you want to see the full list, you can buy the vinyl and check out the credits page ;)