Djo – ‘The Crux Deluxe’ album review: A mixed bag of surprises
When I was asked to review the deluxe version of Djo’s The Crux this week, I was admittedly hesitant. You see, after his song ‘End of Beginning’ went viral online last year, I quickly decided that his music would never be for me if that annoying earworm was anything to go by.
That’s what happens when one section of a song gets chopped up and spat out over and over with every scroll; it becomes incessant, the musical equivalent of eating dry brown toast for breakfast every day.
You have to go into albums with an open mind, though, so here I am, listening to the Stranger Things star cycle through gentle indie rock, acoustic psychedelic cuts, and some questionable uses of autotune. The surprise deluxe edition of the album comes five months after the release of The Crux, the third solo record from Joe Keery, and despite several moments that fall flat, this is much more than just offcuts he has simply collected off the studio floor.
None of the songs here are asking to be sliced into viral soundbites, with Keery instead experimenting with sonics that remind me of everything from the acoustic offering Paper Mâché Dream Balloon by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Ty Segall, George Harrison, and, much less to my excitement, 100 gecs.
You have to hand it to Keery for going from a nice acoustic guitar-led track like ‘Love Can’t Break the Spell’, where he reflects on having “such a pretty thing,” to the audio assault that is ‘Mr Mountebank’. Cranking up the autotune on his otherwise lovely voice, Keery makes a song that sounds like a teenager who, after hearing ‘money machine’, opened up GarageBand and tried to make their own version. Maybe this would’ve been popular with the chronically online back in 2020, but who is this for in the year of 2025, post-brat? Electronic music is meant to be way better than this.
When that song came on, it genuinely took me off guard, in a bad way. Now, Keery seems lovely, and he certainly has talent, but this track is so awful that you have to wonder if someone made him record it as a form of blackmail or something. It doesn’t fit into the album at all, with the next few songs taking us straight back to much more pleasant territory.
‘It’s Over’ is a highlight, with some lovely strings and Keery’s smooth vocals (and some Beach Boys-esque backing melodies) creating an evocative palette. It feels like Keery has taken you to a nice restaurant, preferably candlelit, and you’re sipping wine and staring at the tables surrounding you. This is your last hurrah – it’s all over after this – but for now, enjoy the sumptuously melancholic atmosphere that engulfs you.
Keery is at his best when he keeps things simple, like on the penultimate track, ‘Thich Nhat Hanh’, where nice acoustic guitars are reminiscent of those rare 1960s or ‘70s folk tracks from an unknown artist that sometimes pop up on your Spotify radio, captivating you when you least expect it.
The album closer, ‘Awake’, continues this melancholy sound before punctuating the ending with fierce, grungy electric guitars, creating a hazy fuzz of suitably ’90s-esque angst that works really well. Perhaps he should scrap the autotune and lean into the heavier aspects that are peppered throughout The Crux, because if there’s one thing we don’t need, it’s undercooked electronic music from people who are much better-suited to their guitars.
Defining track: ‘It’s Over’
For fans of: Being surprised, both positively and negatively.
A concluding comment from a TikTok addict: “I don’t think any of these songs are going to make me go viral.”
Release date: September 12th, 2025 | Producer: Joe Keery | Label: Djo Music
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