BIO

Since completing the record in 2025, Fiedler has been downright excited. And for good reason: It’s because on Strangers, every decision is all on him. There’s no sidebar steering committee with a band member, unlike his other band-life constructs in J-Theory and his other band, the ‘90s-tinged Pack. “This is like a whole new world to me, getting to do all this by myself,” Fiedler says. “Typically, I have four other people that I'm discussing this kind of stuff with. Or a manager. Or other people that want their way. I didn't even think of who I wanted to mix it with until that time came or what I wanted the album cover to be, or how the layout should look. It’s weird to get to do all this by myself. So it's rather exciting to have full control over something. He begins to laugh. “Because I don't get full control over much!”

Over the years, Fiedler and Equal Vision president Dan Sandshaw had become good friends since J-Theory joined the roster. Purely following a whim, Fiedler decided to share his new music with him. “I sent him the original five songs I had and said, ‘Hey, I want to do something with this. I don't totally know what yet, but I think it's cool enough that I want to put it out into the world.’ He listened to it and agreed. And that's when Dan asked what I thought about doing a full LP instead of just an EP and see how it goes.

“When Dan actually heard the LOWREV record, he was like, ‘I thought this was going to be cool, but I didn't know it was going to be actually really cool—very different from everything that [the label] has out there.’ He said, ‘The world needs more sad bastard music because we don't have enough of it.’ [Laughs.] So this was it, apparently. He was obviously willing to put it out on the label!”

Recorded in his basement studio at his home in Greensburg, the album’s 12 tracks are quite the departure from his lyrical guitar attributes. Fiedler played and tracked all the vocals, guitars, keyboards and drum programming, calling in his old friend Justin Niedzwecki to bring more percussive oomph at certain junctures. Now LOWREV’s’ sonic introspection does manifest in unusual ways. It’s not like the album is tattling as if Fiedler is somehow held captive creatively within the framework of The Juliana Theory. And it’s certainly not a reinvention.

Consider that Fiedler became of age during a sweet-spot time in indie-rock circumstance; a time where one could still see and experience punk icons The Ramones and Brit-pop darlings Elastica, and soon afterward, be inspired and confident enough to want to make your own mark. (In Fiedler’s case, as the lead guitarist in The Juliana Theory and then his own ‘90s-tempered ensemble, Pack.)

And It’s Hard To Lie To Strangers has a great number of highwater marks. “Time Has Faded” is a melancholy track addressing the flickering resonance of old friends who are no longer part of his life. The prairie-dusted, echo-laden guitars on “It’s True” feels like a drive through a desert at 3 am toward your sweetheart. The shimmering electronics of “Interlude 26” portend the warm, and tender “Smiles Light Up The Room,” a post rock-textured valentine to his son who has autism. In a bizarre twist, he delivers a significantly darker version of La Roux’s 2009 hit, “Bulletproof,” simply because he could. (“I love that song, okay? It's the perfect pop song. I was sitting in front of the computer one day and thinking, ‘I'm just gonna cover this and make it a weird, a little darker pop song.”) The title track boasts vocal melodies that wouldn’t be out of place on some ‘70s AOR staple on classic-rock radio playlists. And “Gather Power” brings down the curtain on the album with a cautionary tale about a relationship heading for sadness (“There are things we both should say/instead we cower/Those things don’t go away/they gather power”).

While the “sad bastard music” tag might fit, LOWREV’s upbeat tempos and Fiedler’s impassioned (as opposed to “wallowing”) vocal prowess articulates the songs significantly. When asked about his non-musical influences, Fiedler lists the usual suspects (“Wife, kids, wanting revenge on anybody that ever wronged me,” he says before laughing), but has grace about how far he’s gotten, professionally and psychically. “There’s that range of emotions that you’re having in your 40s of working a job, raising kids and having this double life.”

Fans shouldn’t be concerned about a life without The Juliana Theory: It’s Hard To Lie To Strangers isn’t a total career reset for Fiedler as much as it is an exercise in surveying a land he’s never been in and smelling the roses planted on it. While he says he’d like to play some LOWREV dates in support of Strangers, he’s not planning on walking onto a stage in rizz-mode, donning sunglasses, a harmonica holder and an acoustic guitar. He’s not exactly sure what it looks like. “I’m going to dip a toe into the touring pool and not just dive right in,” he says. “I do want this to be a band experience. I don't want to be up there by myself singing songs with a guitar.” There are also plans to release a seven-inch of his cover of The Gin Blossoms’ “Til I Hear It From You,” which he describes as “quite shoegazey.” But for right now, Josh Fiedler feels ambitious and confident on his first solo flight. With LOWREV, he’s not keeping up some kind of cool-dude appearance. After all, consider that album title.

“Like I said, I have never wanted to do this in the past, and I just decided that I'm just gonna do it,” he resigns. “Whatever happens with it is cool. The fact that it got done is a major accomplishment to myself, given all the craziness that my life is. Besides, I’m so busy, I don't think my wife would let me start another band...”