Joji’s “SMITHEREENS” is Nothing Short of Great
Singer’s new album displays raw emotion and vibrant feelings
Joji’s album was released on Nov. 4.
November 7, 2022
Joji’s latest album, “SMITHEREENS,” has culminated his entire career up to this point. It is very apparent that he was finally able to express his own unique style, shutting out the doubts that many had about the album. Over the years, Joji has done an amazing job revamping his style and experimenting with many different genres, however, it has never been quite like this.
A fine mixture of bedroom pop, indie, R&B, and alternative is what Joji presented with this album. Although the 24-minute run time seems short, as a listener, the message is sent perfectly.
The album is a tale of heartbreak, self-actualization, and regret, similar to his sophomore album, “Nectar.” The listener gets a glimpse of the intense emotion that Joji experiences, both the ups and the downs of his mental battle to find happiness.
Throughout his career, conveying emotions has never been an issue for Joji, and that is especially true with this album. Through every verse, there is no question of whether or not the raw emotion of the lyrics is being conveyed to the listener. Time and time again, the stimulus from the words is perfectly matched with the production and chorus.
For his truest fans, this album had been nothing short of perfect, from the vocals to the production. Joji has a unique way of differentiating his music from other artists, and he accomplished that yet again in this album.
The starting track, “Glimpse of Us,” sets the tone for the album beautifully. The piano backtrack is simple and concise, yet emotional and intense, exactly as it should be. The entirety of the album is set up by this song, a series of vibrant feelings, beats, and vocals.
The second half of the album is where things start to fall off a little bit, as the production quality starts to diminish. Although it is not up to par with the first half, great would be an understatement when describing the entire album.
It will be very interesting to see where Joji goes from here, and how he will use the momentum that he has created to shift his career into a whole new gear.
