On Apr. 4, Djo released his third studio album “The Crux.” Djo is the stage name for actor and musician, Joe Keery. He created this name as a way to separate his musical career from his career in acting and has been releasing music since 2019. Over the past few years, his single “End of Beginning” has reached new audiences and surpassed over 1 billion streams on Spotify alone. This song has skyrocketed his musical work to fame and has left listeners in extreme anticipation for his newest album and upcoming tour.
The album begins with “Lonesome Is A State of Mind.” This song is a great overview of what is to come with the rest of the album as the lyrics seem to be reflective of the subject matter of previous albums. This allows the listener to understand that new ideas will be introduced.
Following this track is “Basic Being Basic,” which was the first single. This song was a hit upon release and gave fans a great understanding of what the new album might sound like.
The next track is “Link.” This one is more upbeat and guitar heavy and really highlights Djo’s unique lyrics while featuring a few sections of call and response singing that will transfer wonderfully into audience interactions on tour.
The last single to be released was “Potion.” It was released just before the album and gave fans the idea that he may be exploring different genres on the upcoming album, and they were right. This track highlights his falsetto in a way that has not been featured before.
The second single to be released was “Delete Ya.” This song solidified my anticipation for the album. It feels so familiar yet so different from what he has previously released. This is true of all three of the singles he released prior to the album. They are all so unique and different from each other but are great examples of the album as a whole.
Following these tracks is “Egg,” which has a more stripped-down calm beginning and eventually picks up the pace to really highlight Djo’s strong vocals that have developed over the years.
Accompanying this song is “Fly,” which is filled with acoustic guitar and Djo’s classic sound of synths and keys. The simple production on this track really allows his vocals and lyrics to shine once again and is one of my personal favorites.
Next on the album is another favorite of mine “Charlie’s Garden.” After hearing the lyrics “Team up with Charlie, take these kids for a ride” on the track “Delete Ya” many fans speculated that Djo was referring to longtime friend and co-star Charlie Heaton. This theory was solidified with the release of this song as Heaton lent some vocals in the form of a phone call on this surf-rock inspired track.
Following this song is yet another highly anticipated track that fans had already heard live a few times before the release, “Gap Tooth Smile.” This upbeat song is the perfect song to dance and sing along to live and has every element of what fans love from Djo’s music.
The next track, “Golden Line,” features Djo’s layered vocals and harmonies over a jazzy piano. The song has a very reflective tone and has a slow build to an orchestral sound towards the end. It is yet another great representation of Djo’s vocal range.
The second to last song “Back On You” begins with a feature of Brooklyn Youth Chorus and abruptly switches into a sort of funk inspired guitar and drum filled tune paired with chant style singing about friendship.
The final song is the closest thing Djo has come to a title track. “Crux” is the perfect closing track as it is filled with slow paced piano and strong vocals that highlight the overall reflective tone of the entire album. It brings together the various themes and style of the rest of the album and ties it all up nicely.
This has been Djo’s most anticipated album so far, which makes sense, as it is his strongest and most unique musical work as well. He has explored various genres, production styles, and lyrical ideas that he never has before. Djo is taking this album on tour and is sure to continue to gain even more of a following as he continues his musical career.
Nora Lee is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at nora.lee@und.edu.