LOS ANGELES— Josh Conway’s debut solo album plum has inadvertently sparked a global panic among fruit farmers. The Marías drummer-producer released the highly anticipated LP. Industry analysts quickly noted a peculiar trend. Plum sales plummeted overnight. Experts struggled to explain the sudden shift. Consumers simply felt ‘too much’ about plums.
Farmers Fear The ‘Plum’ Effect
Barnaby Figglebottom, head of the International Federation of Stone Fruit Enthusiasts, expressed grave concern. ‘We knew the album was coming,’ Figglebottom stated from a desolate California plum orchard. ‘We just never anticipated such a profound impact. People are looking at plums differently now. With suspicion, almost. It’s like the fruit has suddenly become… self-aware.’ Preliminary data showed a 47% drop in ‘impulse plum purchases’ since the album’s announcement. Many consumers reported feeling ‘overwhelmed by the sheer plum-ness’ of their lives. The common plum, a once innocuous fruit, now carried an unexpected weight. Conway’s single ‘Crumble’ did not help, according to Figglebottom.
Grocery stores reported widespread plum boycotts. Shoppers actively avoided the purple fruit aisle. Some even covered their eyes. Others hummed aggressively to drown out any plum-related thoughts. One woman reportedly screamed. She saw a child offer her a plum at a farmer’s market. Psychologists suggested a ‘mass cognitive dissonance.’ The album title somehow ‘redefined the very concept of plum.’ It made the fruit inherently ‘problematic.’
Crumbling Sales, Rising Anxiety
Dr. Penelope Quince, a leading expert in Album-Induced Agrarian Anxiety at the University of Fruitology, weighed in. ‘Mr. Conway’s artistic vision, while undoubtedly profound, has inadvertently tapped into a collective subconscious fear of fruit-based nomenclature,’ Dr. Quince explained. ‘His work has elevated the plum. It’s no longer just a snack. It’s a statement. And frankly, people aren’t ready for that kind of commitment from a stone fruit.’ She recommended a ‘cooling-off period.’ Perhaps a neutral album title next time. Something like ‘Apple’ or ‘Banana.’ Or maybe a simple self-titled record.
At press time, Josh Conway announced a deluxe edition of plum would include a bonus track titled ‘Fig.’
