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Josh Gilligan Releases Debut Album 'Party of One'

Writer's picture: Crucial RhythmCrucial Rhythm

Updated: Jan 30

Man in a white shirt sits on rocks in a wooded area. Sunlit scene. Text: "Josh Gilligan, PARTY OF ONE" at the top. Calm mood.

Today, Nashville-based singer-songwriter and filmmaker Josh Gilligan releases his delicate debut album Party of One via Chicago and Nashville-based indie label Easy Does It Records. Embracing an optimistic perspective shift, Gilligan created an album that discusses dark themes like isolation and internal conflict with a gentle humor and a warm generosity that takes no chord or phrase for granted.


Listen to Party of One here 


Party of One collects the wisdom Gilligan gleaned from a long period of deep sadness, self-doubt, and confusion. There are songs about separation, internal conflicts, and creative disappointments, all of which added up to a pervasive melancholy in his late 20s and early 30s. He’d spent nearly a decade gigging around Nashville, balancing other jobs adjacent to the music industry with his own musical pursuits.


“I wasn’t expecting to feel so hollowed out after my twenties,” says Gilligan, “and I was wondering if I still wanted to make music. But I felt like I owed it to myself to give it another try, even though in the back of my mind I’m thinking, What can I add to the conversation? Why would anyone want to listen to what I have to say? ‘Anything’ came out of that, and it’s been a good message to live with. A lot of people think that if they’re not doing something super ambitious and highly visible, that means they’re doing something wrong or they’re not being brave enough. But it takes so much bravery to do anything at all.”

Perfectly embodying the buoyant spirit of Party of One, a somber, yet hopeful collection of songs, is the song “Ceiling.” With ethereal, soft rock chords and disarming lyrics, it’s about “feeling the pull out of a phase of life and moving into a new one,” says Gilligan. “No hard feelings, it’s just about taking the next step away from something when you no longer need it and it doesn’t need you.”


Emoting a melancholic curiosity, the song “500 Questions,” layers meditative lyrics over ‘70s-inspired, psych-rock instrumentation, while the album’s opener, “Anything,” emphasizes the artist’s vocal delivery as “feather-light, resting easily atop a bed of warm guitars and effortless grooves” (Under The Radar). Another standout track is the introspective “Tightrope,” which shimmers with shuffling rhythms and gentle harmonies buoyed by Gilligan’s sharp songwriting. 


Gilligan drew from the ‘70s pop and soft rock of his childhood, creating a sound that resonates with personal references: the graceful melodicism of Paul Simon, the restless experimentation of Todd Rundgren, the emotional directness of James Taylor. “My mom was raising five kids—I was the middle child—and she would take us on long drives to make us sleepy. And she would play Wings, America, Christopher Cross. Instead of rejecting her music, I embraced all of it. That’s the stuff I’m thinking about when I make music. It completely formed my sensibilities. My mom inadvertently crafted the palette of Party of One.”

Party of One marks a new step in Gilligan’s musical journey, following the success of his 2021 EP, Go Around


For those who might not be familiar with his sound or presence in the Nashville indie scene, Gilligan has worked in various capacities with artists like Halfnoise,  Madi Diaz, Elke, and Medium Build, whom he recently opened for on tour last fall. His diverse experiences on stage have infused his music with a rich blend of influences, setting the stage for his most personal project to date.



Gilligan spent years recording, mixing, and even sequencing another record, but something didn’t sit right. It took bravery to set it aside and start again from scratch. In 2022 he spent a month in California, savoring the change of scenery and working with a different set of musicians. In one memorable afternoon, he and Jacob Jeffries (who plays keyboards for Vulfpeck) wrote a song called “Tight Rope,” out now. It’s a gentle ballad with chiming guitars, shimmering keyboards, and lyrics about how falling off the tightrope gets you back down to earth. It was a breakthrough. “Honestly it felt less like doing a co-write and more like finding a long-lost member of my musical family. I remember thinking, This is how I want the album to sound. I built everything else around that song. It came out like a sneeze, but the others came together with more time and care.” 


When he's not making music, Gilligan enjoys spending his time outdoors, fishing or working on vintage music equipment. His passion for music and creativity is matched by his appreciation for the simple pleasures in life, and he strives to create songs that resonate on a genuine level with his audience.

 

Follow Josh on his socials: Instagram | YouTube | Spotify

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