ExhIbit Decay AKA Josh Darkwah and Ella Boyer

by Em Ingram

What happens to something when it decays? Usually, breaking an object down into its core parts can revolutionize the object into something new, something timeless— but decaying often takes a long time. For Exhibit Decay, though, it doesn’t have to. 

Exhibit Decay, a rising music duo composed of NYU Clive Davis students Ella Boyer and Josh Darkwah, has been making waves with their unique sound and innovative approach to music production. In a recent interview with Embodied, the duo delved into their history, sound inspirations, and the impact of their time at NYU Clive Davis.

The journey of Exhibit Decay began on a train ride back from NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. Striking up a conversation about music, Darkwah recalled, “We just bonded off of music, trip-hop, it was hard.” The connection deepened as they began discussing their shared love for specific music, including Portishead, Massive Attack, Radiohead, and Tricky. Darkwah said to Embodied, “It’s not every day you find someone that makes music the same way that you do and also listen to the same people.” This chance encounter marked the beginning of a musical partnership that would soon captivate audiences.

Four days after the conversation on the train, on March 22, 2022, Darkwah and Boyer met at a Clive Edit Suite and made a beat on the spot. “I called it exhibiting some decay with Ella,” Darkwah explained to Embodied. 

The name “Exhibit Decay” itself emerged during their creative process. “I had come up with the name in October or September, and I was holding on to it,” Boyer said. They revealed that it came from a random name generator, “but then once I got in the studio with Josh, I was like, ‘Okay, this is it.’”

The duo’s collaboration extends beyond just musical compatibility; it’s a fusion of their individual backgrounds and inspirations. Darkwah’s tastes primarily stem from his dad’s love for reggae and soul music, including Sade and Bob Marley. His techniques are influenced by his background growing up in a Ghanaian Church in the Bronx and his involvement in a nonprofit program band called Little Kids Rock while growing up.

Boyer, on the other hand, draws inspiration for music production from one of their favorite bands, Gorillaz. “They have very interesting production techniques, very maximalist, and they collaborate with anybody and everybody, which I love. I want to have the same spirit, as a band,” Boyer said. 

Exhibit Decay’s breakout moment occurred unexpectedly in Washington Square Park while Boyer was on a walk with their dog, Pepper. The viral TikTok scouting account @DiscoveringArtists.IRL approached Boyer with the opportunity to shout out their music. “I could have said Ella Be or Noise Boys, but I’ve been really wanting us to get Exhibit Decay off the ground,” Boyer recalled.  

The viral TikTok featured Exhibit Decay’s unreleased single “Grave.” Boyer told Embodied, “People were commenting, ‘Where can I listen to this? Where’s the music? What the heck, there’s no music.’ And I was freaking out. I was like, ‘Josh, we have to release this now.’”

Within a few days, the song was officially released across platforms, and, as of publishing, it has garnered over 333,000 streams on Spotify. Since their debut, they have released three other songs, “She’s The Monster,” “Autolysis,” and “Espionage.”

When asked about their most recent release “Espionage,” Darkwah said, “I kind of attributed that to when you meet somebody nowadays. You could just like go on a social media and learn everything about them before you meet them.” Boyer freestyled their harmonies, creating a playful soundscape akin to the video game Spy vs. Spy. 

The creation of Exhibit Decay exemplifies the seemingly endless creative possibilities found at the Clive Davis Institute. Darkwah described Clive to Embodied as “the best school for music” and notes that transferring into Clive marked a pivotal moment in his artistic trajectory. Boyer agreed, emphasizing the importance of the shared techniques they developed at Clive, particularly their love for sampling random noises and incorporating them into their music.

Their collaboration currently transcends physical boundaries, as Darkwah is in Paris and Boyer is in New York City. In regards to upcoming releases, Boyer shared, “We have been collaborating across the world to get them finished in terms of production and recording new little bits for them.” 

With the semester coming to a close, the duo anticipates booking shows in the New York/New Jersey area over winter break.