The third time is the charm, so they tell me someone said at some point somewhere in this nonsensical universe. Could be pure horse pucky, but perhaps this proverb will prove true of Insecurities in Being, Lisa Conway’s third solo album to be produced under the name of L CON. Where her 2016 effort, Moon Milk, took inspiration from sci-fi fantasy, the former Del Bel hauntress sounds truly committed on this one, digging deep into uncomfortable truths and sober reflections.
Insecurities in Being was written, recorded, produced, and arranged by Lisa Conway herself, who also added electric guitar, synths/keys, and drum programming while singing the hell out of this record. The resulting collection of soul-searching vocals with appropriately moody, symphonic, folk-tinged indie-pop instrumentals lands somewhere between Sóley, Fiona Apple, and My Brightest Diamond.
Conway had this to say to Tiny Mix Tapes:
A recording is a document of a series of decisions. The decisions I made on this record were made in between bringing people dinners and lunches and drinks at a restaurant, decisions made with both confidence and insecurity, decisions made with gut feeling - about sounds and tones and the sonic palette, about performances, about reverbs (oak room or dark hall or redwood forest?), about delays, about edits, about songs. I was extremely meticulous about some things, and more relaxed about others. When the words finally came, I kind of just let them happen.
I am so grateful to my talented friends who played on this, and Scott who mixed this with me, and grateful to be making. I am excited to start working on the next.
Insecurities in Being is out May 25, care of Wildlife Sanctuary Sound Recordings, but you can stream it now below.
It’s going to be okay. We all go through stuff. Let’s go through this together.