Acclaimed actor and musician Joe Keery, known in the music industry by his alias Djo, released his third studio album, The Crux, Friday, April 4. The 12 tracks on The Crux are full of upbeat, indie-toned melodies and artful lyrics, solidifying that Keery is by no means a one-hit wonder. His third solo album, co-produced by Keery and Adam Thein at the iconic Electric Lady Studios, is the perfect indie album, packed with danceable and singable songs to blast all summer.
Keery entered the music scene in 2015 when he became a member of the band Post Animal, formed in Chicago. Keery left the band in 2019 to focus on his rising acting career after he was cast in Netflix’s wildly successful TV show Stranger Things. After wrapping up filming for season three of Stranger Things, Keery kicked off his solo musical career releasing his first single “Roddy” in July 2019, under the name Djo, which amassed 3.1 million streams on Spotify. Keery followed up the release with his second single, “Chateau (Feel Alright),” in August. By the following September, Keery released his debut album Twenty Twenty, which featured psychedelic rock undertones with hints of electronic instrumentation. Twenty Twenty was the first of Djo’s works to feature his signature soft-spoken and electronically influenced tone and was positively accepted by fans.
Following the release of Twenty Twenty, Keery released his second studio album, Decide in 2022, which took on an alternative pop tone. Keery, who was known for playing one of the ensemble roles on Stranger Things, established himself as a breakout star off the screen and with the microphone when the fifth track off of Decide, “End of Beginning,” took off on social media and charted on the Billboard Hot 100 list.
After finding success in the movie industry and quickly taking over the music industry, Keery’s newest album, The Crux, does not disappoint his rising status. Ranging from slower songs to ones perfect for belting out at one of Keery’s many upcoming concerts on his current Back on You World Tour to promote the album, The Crux is chock-full of songs worthy of singing all spring and summer long. With lyrical themes of self-acceptance and an almost coming-of-age type message to folks moving into their thirties, The Crux’s lyrics are both thoughtful and, for many of Djo’s fans, relatable.
The first track of the album, “Loneliness is a State of Mind,” starts slow in typical Djo fashion with a muted rock tone that mirrors that of the intro to a 2000s song by The Strokes. With repetitive background vocals and an undeniable pop-esque style, the first verse builds up to Djo repeating, “Two for life / Thought that you were on my side” throughout the song’s chorus. “Loneliness is a State of Mind” establishes the free-spirited tone of the album. While the song repeats both the pre-chorus and chorus, making the track lean into repetition, the creativity of the song’s deeper lyrical meaning, which points to Keery entering into a phase of self-acceptance as well as its production, saves the song from falling flat.
The second track, “Basic Being Basic,” the album’s lead single, came out Jan. 24. “Basic Being Basic” is endlessly catchy and has a nostalgic feel to it, paired with the track’s on-point production that has an 80s undertone, the song feels new but timeless. The way Keery sings throughout the song’s verses takes on a more conversational tone till the chorus hits. “I think you’re scared of being basic / That’s ironic ‘cause it’s reading like you’re even more basic,” Keery sweetly sings with an undertone of cheeky irony.
Towards the end of the song, as if it wasn’t good enough yet, Keery includes an unmatchable bridge into an equally perfected outro that proves he is becoming a true maestro of his musical generation’s indie pop genre. The song’s bridge has connotations to Harry Styles’ hit song, “Keep Driving,” as Keery playfully lists different activities people do to be unique but ironically make them more basic. “Change your body, change your face, curl your hair then make it straight,” Keery mindlessly sings. The message of the song of poking fun at superficiality is a condemnation of small talk, trivial social media practices, and above all is purely refreshing.
Originally released as the album’s second lead single Feb. 27, the fifth track off The Crux, “Delete Ya” is giving situationship gone wrong, and for once, we’re here for it. Keery sings of how he was in a good relationship and he wishes he could take it back because now every other relationship he is in falls flat in comparison. “Oh God, I wish I could delete ya / Cause nothin‘ can compete with ya,” Keery sings, managing to full-heartedly sing half-hearted lyrics.
Towards the end of “Delete Ya” Keery switches up the lyrics of the pre-chorus, singing, “And now I’m back in my truck, I’m driving up to our place / We’re sitting dead on the ground, there’s nothing more to be said.” While it’s unlikely Keery drew inspiration from Taylor Swift’s go-to break-up anthem “All Too Well” (10-minute Taylor’s version, of course) the theme of hometown heartbreak in both songs draws parallels. Taylor Swift homage or not, with consistently building instrumentals and a chorus worthy of singing along to, “Delete Ya” continues to prove that Djo’s most successful songs tend to lay within the pop indie genre.
“Charlie’s Garden,” the eighth track, has a vintage feel that captures the raw creativity that Keery offers within his music. The song features vocals by Charlie Heaton, Keery’s close friend and Stranger Things co-star. In an interview with UPROXX Keery explained that the song was, “An homage to my great friend and my time in Atlanta.” Keery wrote the song after being neighbors with Heaton over the summer and observing his gardening skills from his own backyard. The song has an undertone of summer comfort with a Paul McCartney-esque vocal range delivered from Keery that fans didn’t know they needed. “One more day / In Charlie’s garden,” the chorus slowly repeats. With a repetitive song structure, Keery blends in unique touches, incorporating audio from a phone call with Heaton’s voice throughout the song and particularly the outro.
“Charlie’s Garden” has a cozy tone with hints of Beatles influences and an added twist with a retro feel when Keery includes the recorded phone call. The song is comfortable and feels intimate, making it highlight both Keery’s creativity and the message of acceptance and comfort that The Crux is sending.
Further developing a pop and indie tone, The Crux may have a few too many slower songs such as the album’s third lead single and track four “Potion” as well as track 12, “Crux” which both take on slower and less provocative production risks. Despite this, The Crux’s lyricism and upbeat energy cultivates an album full of joy and an old-school feel, earning four and a half out of five feathers.
