Djo - DECIDE

Change isn’t always a bad thing - at its best, it can be an emancipating force. And it’s something Djo - the musical moniker of streaming show superstar Joe Keery - is unsure about throughout the course of this second album. Change is necessary to grow, and on ‘DECIDE’, Djo finds the courage to do exactly that. It’s long been clear that the artist has the musical chops to match his acting prowess and here it’s no different. A deeply thoughtful and yet infinitely danceable collection of songs, it balances honest truths with taunting vocals and bursts of synth-prompted energy. ‘End Of Beginning’ seems to be the best example of this – an ever-thrumming, low guitar line sits amid lovelorn synths, rising ever higher until the vocals become an unbelievably cathartic shout. Likewise, closer ‘Slither’ growls along, but carries that earnest hope in its lyrics. In some way, that light always comes to the surface. ‘Half Life’ begins with a newfound darkness, but as is common with Djo, quickly casts that off. Regardless of how self-analytical or distressed the lyrics become, there’s always a blast of sonic light to maintain never relenting optimism. As Djo discovers the inevitability of change, he also discovers a great deal about who he is and who he may transform to be: ‘DECIDE’ is a soundtrack to working through feelings and history in order to emerge stronger and more assured. All the while, there’s a simmering, hopeful glimmer to the album’s psych licks and layers of impatient percussion. Change has come to pass in the best way possible, and Djo provides the perfect sonic manifestation of that.