Djo tops September song leak shock with surprise album ‘The Crux Deluxe’
Djo’s first surprise for listeners came when he appeared in a new Tame Impala music video. He continued to shock fans when he released 12 new songs just after releasing “The Crux.” Sophia Berger | Contributing Illustrator
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Joe Keery fans were likely surprised when the camera panned to reveal his face in Tame Impala’s new music video, which came out on September 3.
Djo released a new song, “Carry The Name,” days after featuring in the music video, even more of a surprise considering his album “The Crux” dropped months earlier in April.
If one song and a music video appearance were a shock, nothing could have prepared Djo fans for the release of “The Crux Deluxe” on Friday. Before releasing “The Crux Deluxe,” Djo dropped two more songs from the album,“It’s Over” and “Awake.” Few, if any fans were expecting 12 new tracks so soon after the initial album’s release.
The “Stranger Things” star dubbed the deluxe album the “punk little brother” to his original release. He said the songs in the deluxe album were written around the same time, designed to be a “snapshot” of that moment in his life.
While “The Crux Deluxe” leans into the same elements that made “The Crux” successful, the deluxe album is entirely its own. As an independent artist with the freedom to explore different genres, Djo hits all the right notes in the deluxe album across the 44-minute runtime.
The intro track, “T. Rex is Loud,” starts the album with a rock song that follows Djo as he relies on music as an escape. “Please tell me that things get easier,” he sings. He carries that grief with him into the heartbreak ballad “Love Can’t Break the Spell,” where a dejected Djo accepts that his old love will never be the same.
“Mr. Mounteback” is more uplifting, as Djo sings confidently about the same insecurities that plagued his relationships. The song suffers a little from its five-minute runtime and heavy dose of autotune, but the message is clear. “Once they peel the skin back, let ’em see /
Not afraid, not for sale,” Djo sings.
Djo follows with “Carry The Name,” where he reassures himself that he’s still whole after coming out of a relationship. It’s easily one of the best tracks on the album, prepped up by a chorus where he sings about self-love.
The fifth track, “It’s Over,” is a step back from the previous track as Djo grapples with the aftereffects of no longer being in the relationship. It’s more bluesy in nature, with tones of punk.
“One day here, the next she’s gone / And before long, we’ll find someone / But, it’s over (Wait) / We’re done,” he sings.
Perhaps the best track of the entire album, “Purgatory Silverstar” builds on the underlying punk parts of “It’s Over,” but it’s a major tone shift from the previous track.
“This is Purgatory Silverstar / Only me, myself, and radio / Deep spacе, dead weight / Body-breaking lonеliness,” Djo sings while missing his previous love. .
“Grime of the World” follows with darker themes as a long guitar intro builds into a track where Djo sings about greed and the unpredictability of life that led him down his current path with lyrics like, “Life’s funny, isn’t it? / Die tryin’, guess I’ll quit / Things happen, as they will / Control it? Shut your will.”
The next track, “Try Me,” picks up the pace again as Djo wants a relationship with someone he can’t have, as they’re already in one. Behind heavy instrumentals that make it one of the catchier songs on the album, Djo pleads for them to give him a chance, or “try him”.
In “They Don’t Know What’s Right,” a gritty rock song in the same style as “T. Rex is Loud,” Djo doesn’t want to let others control his actions, shrugging off their judgment in the process with a frustrated scream in the middle of the track.
“I’m just a joker? Well / I’d rather be a joker than you / You-oo-oo-oo / You-oo-oo-oo / I just don’t care like they think I do!” he sings.
The final track, “Awake,” closes the deluxe album on a haunting note with striking guitar sounds in the background as Djo reminisces about everything and everyone he’s left behind with lyrics like, “Brother’s off to college / Little sister’s sad / It’s a picture in his wallet.” The song closes with powerful guitar riffs that amp up as it reaches the end before slowing back down.
While unexpected, “The Crux Deluxe” is a welcome addition to the original album and highlights Djo’s versatility as an artist. Above all, the deluxe album reinforces that Keery should be known for more than just his character Steve from “Stranger Things” – he should also be seen as a legitimate artist capable of blending genres.
