Djo – The Crux Deluxe
A surprise album drop didn’t seem on the cards for someone as busy as Djo has been this year. From releasing his third album, The Crux, in April, to embarking on a world tour – which he’s still on – Joe Keery has a lot on his plate. With the only clue being the release of three new singles earlier this week, the multi-hyphenate artist has just dropped The Crux Deluxe, a collection of 12 brand-new songs where he looks inwards to find his groove.
If, as Keery himself had described, The Crux was “a hotel housing guests who are all, in one way or another, at crossroads in their lives,” then The Crux Deluxe finds them in a dark, introspective mood. It is the yin to its predecessor’s yang, the darker side that comes out when the sun goes down. After hours, regrets torment us, bringing to the surface the “ifs” and “buts” of lost relationships. These seem to be the thoughts forming the basis of this new album, which is laden with breakup songs.
In the first half, Djo seems to be shedding the mask of irony that dominated The Crux, entering the purgatory of getting over a breakup. At first listen, the record can sound repetitive thematically – there are only so many ways of conveying the simple sentiment “I’m sad”, with tracks like Love Can’t Break The Spell, and recently released singles Carry the Name and It’s Over further hammering that point home.
While, by Keery’s own admission, The Crux borrowed a lot from his influences, at risk of presenting a tracklist of tributes to specific sounds and styles, his new album is a stronger attempt at staying consistent. Its guitar-driven sound, combined with the infectious synths that featured heavily in his earlier work, is another step towards forming a signature sound without getting stale. Songs like synth-y Mr Mountebank and 80s rock-esque Grime of the World and Try Me are a welcome respite from downtempo breakup songs, while Purgatory Silverstar, which comes halfway through the record, is the tipping point that sets them off.
Who You Are ponders on the inevitability of some endings, posing what seems to be the central question: “What does it mean to love somebody? / Can’t say I’m really sure.” From there, the artist channels the teachings of Buddhist Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, whose name he borrows for the album’s meditative penultimate song, to come out the other side, not unscathed, but a changed man. Shoegazy closer Awake holds back long enough that its eventual drop feels like catharsis, its chorus of “I’m awake” becoming a mantra.
Antigoni Pitta
Image: Piers Grennan
The Crux Deluxe is released on 12th September 2025. For further information or to order the album, visit Djo’s website here.
Watch the video for It’s Over here:
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