The Miscellany News

There are very few artists who I am able to claim to be a day one fan of, but Djo is certainly one of them. You are probably familiar with the work of actor Joe Keery, best known for his role as Steve Harrington in “Stranger Things.” But what fewer people know is that since 2019, he has been producing music under the moniker Djo—pronounced “Joe”—after years of performing as a member of the band Post Animal. The artist’s top hit, “End of Beginning,” has garnered over a billion streams on Spotify after a run-in with TikTok virality, thrusting him into a well-deserved spotlight. Now, if his most recent album “The Crux” has shown us anything, it is that he intends to stay there. 

“The Crux” is a brand new era for Djo. I can distinctly remember waking up on a July morning in 2019, just mere days after the smashing success that was the third installment of “Stranger Things,” and listening to Djo’s debut single “Roddy.” For me, it was reminiscent of ’80s new wave, resembling the songs my dad would play in the car just to cover the radio display and quiz me, “Who sings this?” Since then, Djo has always pursued a characteristic synth-pop sound, and the album’s singles “Basic Being Basic” and “Delete Ya” seemed to be no exception. However, “The Crux” as an album is a departure from the deeply electronic nature of Djo’s previous releases, “Twenty Twenty” and “Decide,” as he transitions into a lighter, warmer sound that explores his more folksy side. The blend of styles, including everything from indie rock to pop to folk to synth-pop, seamlessly shows off his versatility while remaining true to his trademark earnest, emotional lyrics. 

“The Crux” draws inspiration from those same artists I grew up listening to, like The Police, LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes and The Talking Heads. Djo can lean into the vocals of Julian Casablancas and the artistry of David Byrne. The eighth track, “Charlie’s Garden,” is an homage to The Beatles, both in name—referring to their song “Octopus’s Garden”—and sound. It is McCartney worship at its finest, and even features the spoken word of Keery’s “Stranger Things” castmate Charlie Heaton—who also receives a nod in the fifth track, “Delete Ya.” “Potion” is my personal favorite from the album. Djo takes up an acoustic sound, as though he packed up the essence of Fleetwood Mac and shipped it to the present. All of these influences can be both heard and felt throughout the album, and Djo makes this homage to all the greats his own. 

The central concept of the album ties these disparate influences together—“The Crux” is like a hotel housing guests who are all, in one way or another, at crossroads in their lives. Songs like “Link” and “Gap Tooth Smile” sketch out characters we can follow and relate to at our leisure. The album tells so many stories, but Djo never holds himself to a single narrative. Dripping with nostalgia, his musings about identity can speak to anyone else who, like those sketched characters who live in the songs of the album, finds (or has ever found) themselves facing their own crux—any sort of unsolved question or challenge.

“The Crux” is a love letter to everything Djo has been and all the spaces he has occupied, from actor to musician and everything in between. He has shown just how versatile he can be while remaining true to the emotionality that is the core of his musicianship. I would not say that “The Crux” is Djo’s magnum opus by any means—he still has room to grow and explore his artistry. But it is refreshing. It is exciting. It is the perfect album for summer, blending the nostalgia of the ’60s and ’70s and applying it to our current world. Through this album, Djo has made a name for himself beyond just “the guy from ‘Stranger Things.’” While amassing millions of monthly listeners and adapting his sound, Djo will always be that same artist I became enamored with on that July morning in 2019, and I cannot wait to see what is next.