Stranger Things has introduced several singer-songwriters into the world, with Joe Keery (Djo) being the most prolific. His music project has blown up massively in the last year, with the track End of Beginning from his previous album exploding on TikTok and sitting at over a billion streams on Spotify. How does Djo’s new album The Crux measure up to previous efforts?
If you’re looking for a follow-up to that TikTok hit here, you won’t find it. The style of this album is different from Keery’s first two efforts and feels less dense in terms of instrumentation, giving the songs and lyrics a chance to breathe. The album kicks off with Lonesome State of Mind, which begins with a Strokes-like atmosphere and finds Keery singing about being lonely and unsure of the future. The track crescendos with this MGMT-type production that takes it home spectacularly. Link is another surprise, with its anthemic chorus, indie-rock stylings, and jittery production that explores a feeling of anxiety.
The first single released treads similar territory to Keery’s previous efforts, although this isn’t a negative. Basic Being Basic is a half-spoken word and half-sung and takes down superficial people who care about looks and are scared about seeming ‘basic.’ Keery has always had a talent for writing catchy hooks and delivers with the earworm that is ‘that’s basic being basic.’ The other single, Delete Ya, feels like a break-up anthem in waiting, with Keery delivering the hooky chorus of ‘Oh, God, I wish I could delete ya, cause nothing can compete with ya.’
The Crux is like Keery flipping through his record collection and choosing the influences for each song. Executed poorly, this could have ended up sounding like hero worship at its worst, but luckily, he pulls it off with such commitment that the material flourishes. For example, Fly and Charlie’s Garden are pure Beatles worship, but he does an amazing job in terms of the production while telling a story about finding peace in the garden of his friend Charlie Heaton. Gap Tooth Smile is also a lot of fun. With its theatrical production and lyrics, Keery shows his love for someone he’s lucky to have in his life, extolling this with the line, “Freddy said it right, ’cause she’s my killer queen.”
There are hints of a relationship that has ended and the grieving of that. But the album also tackles the point of life he’s at and the uncertainty that comes with it. The album concludes with the song Crux, which provides an uplifting way to end what feels like a journey from uncertainty and anxiety to more calm and confidence.
With all the attention on his project, Keery could have sold out and created another track like End of Beginning. Instead, he takes us on a journey through the music he loves. All told from his perspective and using creative flourishes that give the material weight. The Crux is Keery’s most accomplished work yet, showing that his talent runs deep.
3 albums in, Keery has more than proven himself an accomplished musician, and there’s so much more to come.
