The global music industry has changed a lot in recent years, with independent artists taking up nearly 40 percent of the space. With a lot of competition in the market due to technological advancements, social media, and streaming, it takes a very special talent to stand out and break the mold. Multitalented artist Josh Menon is doing exactly that with his refreshing and high- quality music. His genre-bending sound, vocal strength and versatility make him a major highlight in the industry. We were fortunate enough to sit down with the producer/singer/songwriter and discuss his new “Pugwash” music video.
A Bangalorean Gem in Los Angeles
Josh Menon is an LA-based Bangalorean artist known for combining a wide range of musical and cultural influences into playful yet thought-provoking music. His discography of 44 tracks has been streamed thousands of times on major platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. He has been working in the entertainment industry from a very young age, because at
16 he was already the youngest artist to feature on Pepsi’s MTV Indies channel, and the youngest performer to headline The Gig Week music festival. He recently recorded and released his album ‘My Only Platonic Love,’ which was received as a blend of “dynamism with genuine emotion” by Daily Music Roll and was quoted as having “an unparalleled and earthy sound that separates him from the crowd” by Digital Wall. “Pugwash” is one of the many standout tracks from this album.
An Abundance of Melody
The song features a rhythmic arrangement of instruments that bring an abundance of melody for Josh Menon's sultry vocals to glide on. The guitar solo acts as the thrilling backbone of the track and adds an exciting sense of spontaneity to Menon’s cool, nonchalant delivery.
“The first line of the track came to me before anything else. I kept singing it over and over in my car and I knew I had to build a song around it. I wanted to create an alternative pop tune in which I sing about sad emotions but mask them with a laidback and carefree delivery.”
The astute and heartfelt lyrics pair perfectly with the blend of alternative pop and rock elements that the singer/songwriter appears to have mastered in his recent releases “July” and “Uglyboy” featuring Ovvl Eyes.
“I loved working with Andrew [Ovvl Eyes] because he brought a whole new energy to the track. He’s fantastic on the guitar and has a distinct passion in his voice. I didn’t plan on including a guitar solo or an explosive chorus at the end, but it all fell into place when we were jamming in the studio.”
What stands out most about all of Menon’s releases is his ability to continuously transcend lyrical and musical boundaries of pop in new ways. With “Pugwash,” he does that using lush melodicism and a purposeful yet carefree harmonic progression.
A Journey That Unfolds Seamlessly
Josh Menon is the star of his “Pugwash” music video, and he carries the narrative with so much poise. Set in a desaturated office, we see that he feels trapped and is being followed by his colleagues.
"We chose the 4:3 aspect ratio to emphasize this sense of claustrophobia, and our camera movements become increasingly jarring as the intensity of the video rises.”
When it comes to color, the video gets darker and sicklier as the story progresses, which helps evoke a sense of danger. There is also a masterful contrast between the green hues seen throughout most of the video, and the warmer tones in the real world at the end. These details - along with the rhythmic editing and punchy transitions - help take the viewers on a journey that unfolds very seamlessly.
It's incredibly impressive that Josh Menon was also the editor for the music video, and he has extensive experience as a filmmaker. After graduating with a BA in filmmaking from Columbia College Chicago, Menon got his start by editing showreels at the agency that represents comedy stars like Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell. He then improved on his craft by creating videos for one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s 100 Powerful Women of 2020, Ari Horie. Menon also worked on a Super Bowl commercial for Tide featuring Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) and wrote screenplays with Emmy-nominated writer Michael Karnow before taking his talent to Petrol, where he works on video game media for clients like Sony, Activision, Disney and more.
Josh Menon is certainly one of the most talented and exciting new artists to watch, and his audience can’t wait to see what he has in store next.