Cleveland-bred Josh Maison is finally finding his musical footing. Having spent the past year reinventing his sound into something more fitting to him, Maison is back. His new album Josh Maison Superstar shows his personal and artistic growth. At 14-songs in length, the album is unapologetic and brash. The project begins with the spacey opener, Sucker Punch. Throughout the track, bass-singed synths ride in tandem with Maison’s unique in-your-face cadence. Much of this energy is kept throughout the album as Maison’s strong vocals take center stage each time.
The music is quite honestly what takes the cake with the album. The creative pairing of sonic and mood shifts is intoxicating from start to finish. While the songs and production are without a doubt well-crafted, Josh Maison’s strong songwriting brings another element to an already-fire album. Shortly after the release of the album, we had the chance to catch up with Josh Maison and talked, creative influences, his writing process, and his favorite track off the album. Check out the full interview below.
For this being your debut album, how did the concept come together?
This is my debut album under Josh Maison. I used to make music under jxsh from 2014-2018, so I’m no stranger to making records. I had an entire Josh Maison album done in October 2019. Mixed and mastered, 14 tracks, everything done. But it just wasn’t what I wanted to present to the world. I wasn’t 100% happy with it. So the month after that, Riley and I started working on songs, and one by one, the old songs were picked off until we had a completely new album [laughs.] I wanted to make something very true to myself. I wanted you to feel every word that I’m saying. I wanted the listener to feel in that moment with me. It’s just a project about me.
Were there specific things that helped you get creative while working on the album?
I’m not sure I do anything to get creative. Riley and I would just get on Skype, and I could say the three most random words, and Riley would start pressing buttons until the music sounded exactly like those three words. He’s a genius. I went through so many musical phases during the creation of the album. Some Talking Heads shit, Future, and Kanye, of course. Same with Tyler and The 1975. Those are my top 3 artists. They are important to me.
What was your writing process like?
My homie Riley produces over Skype, so we’ll have these 3-4 hour sessions at midnight where we knock out a few instrumentals. Then the next day, I go in my basement alone and squeeze really hard until I either shit my pants or make a cool song. Then I take the vocals to another session with Riley and drop the vocals in, and they mix it and produce more on the track. This cycle continues until we finish a song. But we’re usually always working on many many things at once [laughs.]
What was your favorite song to work on while putting the album together?
Maybe Leader. That one came together really, really fast. I don’t think I even had to re-record any vocals for it. The vocals on the song right now are literally the first I recorded. Once I got going, it felt really good. I knew I had something. I didn’t even have to rewrite at all either, so everything all just fit. It worked perfectly.
What does your recording process look like? Do you use any unusual methods/tricks in the studio?
It’s really not anything special. I usually go in my basement super late at night and write and record. Sometimes it will take a while, and I’ll just be sitting down there alone for hours, while other times, it is pretty quick. I record a bunch of ideas and flows, and the lyrics usually just come with it. A lot of people say one thing comes first, but for me, I feel like it always kind of happens simultaneously.
Can we expect any visuals off the album?
Not any new visuals. I did put out a video for all the singles, though!
Check out the new album down below vis Spotify and head over here for your preferred streaming service.
