ALBUM REVIEW: DECIDE - Djo
- jessiehirzel
- Apr 7, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 10, 2023
Fun fact: I can't focus on homework or editing photos or anything unless I have background noise.
Every time my roommates come home, I'm sitting on the couch, doing homework, with a TV show on in the background. Whenever I study in my college's library, I have my headphones on and my Spotify open. I don't know why, but I just can't focus on anything unless I have that background noise. (I think I talked about this in my review of Bonnie Kemplay's debut EP).
While I was working on homework and work stuff this week, I was looking for something to listen to for background noise. I tried all of my regular playlists, but they just weren't hitting like I needed them to. I tried my Discover Weekly playlist, my genre and mood mixes, and even just shuffling all of my liked songs. Nothing was working the way that I wanted it to.
Just as I was about to give up on homework and take a nap instead, I remembered that this album existed. Out of no where. I had never listened to Djo before and had no idea what to expect. I pulled it up, turned on the first song, and went back to work.
I ended up listening to this album for two straight hours. It was so good. I didn't get a ton of work done, though, because this album kept distracting me. I wasn't mindless background noise. It commanded my full attention.
And I wasn't complaining.
BACKGROUND
Djo is the musical solo project of Joe Keery, an actor best-known for playing Steve Harrington on the Netflix show Stranger Things.
Keery spent time in Chicago psych-rock band Post Animal, but left as Stranger Things started to take off. He released his debut solo project, Twenty Twenty, in September 2019. Keery planned to tour the album, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented it.
Producer Adam Thein started working with Keery in 2019 to demo the second album, and the pair continued to work together through 2020. The record was "polished off" thanks to a couple of 10-day recording sessions in late 2021.
Keery released DECIDE on September 16, 2022. It quickly blew up on TikTok, thanks to Keery's popularity from Stranger Things. Unfortunately, there are no current plans to play festivals or tour in 2023.
OVERALL SCORE: 7.8/10
Admittedly, I'm not a big fan of psychedelic-pop. However, this album might change that. Between this album and Tame Impala's The Slow Rush, I could be convinced to become a big psychedelic-pop fan.
TRACKLIST RANKING
Slither
End of Beginning
Climax
Change
Gloom
On and On
Is That All It Takes
Runner
Go For It
Figure You Out
Half Life
I Want Your Video
Fool
THE GOOD
TAME IMPALA ?
There were parts of this album where I was convinced I was listening to Tame Impala's Currents. Particularly on "Climax", the combination of synths, drums, and warped vocals sound like Kevin Parker himself.
The thing that makes Djo good is that he takes this sound and makes it his own. Sure, it sounds like Tame Impala, but it's also distinctly Djo. There's no mistaking his singer-songwriter lyrics and his grooving bass lines. Speaking of bass...
BASS WHERE IT BELONGS: THE FRONT
Whenever I review an album, I take notes on each track. It keeps me organized and lets me remember specific things.
My only notes for "Gloom" are: "BASS. RIGHT IN FRONT. YES. DOPE."
Djo doesn't shy away from having bass right in the front of the track. Especially on "Gloom", the bass what drives the whole track. It's what keeps it moving forward to the ultimate explosion of energy that is the final lyric. Burying that bass line under synths and drums and guitars would strip the track of it's identity.
The bass is what makes this album what it is. It's not a passive sound. It's in the driver's seat. Where it belongs.
THE BAD
PSYCHEDELIC POP FANS ONLY!
My mom loves Joe Keery. She's a big fan of Stranger Things, and she definitely has a crush on Steve Harrington (she won't admit it, though). If she found out that Keery made music, she would definitely listen to it. I tried to imagine my mom listening to this album, and I just couldn't do it.
I feel like you would have to be one of two things to really enjoy this album. First, a huge psychedelic-pop fan. Second, someone who just likes music, no matter the genre. Unfortunately, my mom is neither (sorry, Mom).
FINAL THOUGHTS
I have got to learn to not listen to albums for the first time while I'm doing homework. I always get distracted. In this case, though, I'm not complaining.
Djo is just getting better with each release. After I listened to this album, I listened to Djo's debut album Twenty Twenty. The growth from that first album to this one is incredible. There's more confidence. The tracks have a fuller sound. There's more experimenting.
I can't wait to see the growth from the second album to the third.
Comments