Photo via Caley Conway
Bliss or Bust, the recently released EP by Caley Conway, is another significant step in the musical development of the Milwaukee-based artist. It is an intimate record, one that highlights the vulnerability that often goes hand-in-hand with romantic relationships. Yet Bliss or Bust is also a confident-sounding record, documenting a singer-songwriter coming into her own as both a musician and lyricist.
Bliss or Bust was recorded in Nashville with the assistance of guitarist/producer James Paul Mitchell, whom Conway has known since high school. Going into the recording session, Conway already felt that her latest batch of songs were “a bit more country-leaning” than her earlier material. Recording in the country music capitol of the United States allowed her to develop such a sound. “I had it in mind, as a concept, to lean into the country/folky feel of these songs, rather than run from it,” says Conway. “I hoped that at least a little Nashville twang would seep into them as a byproduct of making it there.”
Such admissions, however, do not mean that Bliss or Bust is a full-on country record. Songs such as “I Love You So Much I Don’t Want to See You” highlight the way that Conway is able to integrate other influences—including indie rock and pop—into her sound. At the same time, the lyrics on Bliss or Bust also demonstrate that Conway has little interest in simply reproducing common country music tropes. EP closer “Path of the Sun” describes “a dream on the lithosphere/in an envelope of love you come sleep with me/O it’s a warm idea indeed.” Yet Conway balances such evocative lyrics with blunt declarations like “It’s just that I love you so much/that I don’t want to see you” (from “I Love You So Much I Don’t Want to See You”). As Conway explains, “the songs are critical of romance, and each explores a different facet of co-dependence.” As these examples suggest, Conway covers a whole lot of lyrical ground in just three songs.
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To help the listener further connect with such ideas and imagery, Conway has issued a series of videos that go with the songs on Bliss or Bust. In explaining her decision to make the videos, Conway notes that “I wanted to create a more enveloping sensory experience that the listener can dip their nerve endings into, for the duration of the song. Something they can really consume.” The D.I.Y. aesthetic of the videos—and their almost complete focus on Conway—establish the feeling that the viewer is getting an unfiltered view into the artist and her creative process.
Conway is hoping to play the Bliss or Bust song cycle live in the near future. She has a limited capacity performance—which she’s viewing as an unofficial record released show—planned for June 4 at Dandy, a vintage shop in the Washington Heights neighborhood (5020 W. Vliet St.). After that, she has two outdoor concert series appearances booked; if they don’t get cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions she plans to play those shows with a full band. “I’m excited to play the new material with them and just rock out,” concludes Conway.
The Bliss or Bust EP., along with the record’s corresponding videos, can be found on Caley Conway's Bandcamp page.
