Djo is the singer, songwriter and guitarist alias of famous actor Joe Keery. Djo started releasing music in 2019, with some singles and his debut album “Twenty Twenty” to relative success. He would later release his sophomore album “DECIDE” to much bigger commercial success.
His song “End of Beginning” has been a consistent on and off again trend on TikTok since its release and now boasts over a billion streams on Spotify. Now, Djo is back after two and a half years with his new album “The Crux.”
The album starts out strong with “Lonesome Is A State of Mind,” a song about a man with a repetitive and unexciting life. It begins with some soft guitar and melancholic lyrics until the chorus, where we get some poppy synths and brighter guitar, along with the premise of the song: “Lonesome is a state of mind / No, I won’t be lonely anymore.” It’s a great starter musically, but also thematically ties into the themes of the project.
“Basic Being Basic” is the second track and the big single from this project. The song starts with Djo doing quirky monotone spoken word verses akin to LCD Soundsystem. Ironically enough, my biggest problem with this song is that it’s too basic. While its synths and bass are quirky and fun, they have very little variation throughout the whole song, leaving it feeling basic. Otherwise, the lyrics are delightfully witty and deliver a catchy, fun indie pop song.
The next single, “Potion,” takes a turn into folk territory with the guitar and additional strings. The vocals are soft and high-pitched, perfectly matching the romantic content of the lyrics. Simply put, it’s one of the best songs on the album that creates a golden nostalgic feeling, reminding me of something George Harrison or the Beach Boys would do.
The last single, “Delete Ya,” takes a groovier approach with both the production and vocals. This track has the most minimal use of synth on the project so far. With a catchy chorus, it’s a decent poppy song.
The more interesting parts of this project come in on the second half of this project. Djo creates an existential anthem through the lyrics of the vulnerable “Egg.” The track utilizes tension effectively around the building of the eventual bridge that only comes in around three minutes into the song.
Those three minutes are not boring or wasted though, as he delivers some pretty captivating lyrics: “And when I take step outta me towards the stranger / The muscle suit pumps, it feels like second nature / Original mеn, a clear and present dangеr / Don’t you wish you could be somebody else?”
On “Charlie’s Garden” and “Golden Line,” Djo goes fully baroque-pop and it’s a welcome sound. The production of “Charlie’s Garden” does a perfect job of matching the mood of every lyric. When he’s happy and singing in a high pitch, the instruments deconstruct and slow down to highlight the vocals, and the outro is bright and full of beautiful horns. The latter “Golden Line” just straight up sounds like a modern-day Barry Manilow song, which may be a negative for some, but I love it.
The final track, “Crux,” creates an immersive atmosphere of a man trying to find himself in a community. With this album, Djo cements his place as a model for the current era of actors turned musicians. With every project, you can tell that he doesn’t treat his music as a side hustle, as it comes from a place of authenticity and passion for the art form.