Joji lacks a strong ending in new project


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Joji’s “Glimpse of Us,” the lead single for his latest project “Smithereens,” has over 600 million streams on Spotify since its release back in June. (Photo Courtesy of The Come Up Show)

When it comes to Joji, the question has always remained the same: 

“Who in the world saw this one coming?”

The mere existence of Joji is a testament to the terminally online era within which we currently find ourselves trapped. His 180-degree transition from edgy YouTube comedian to one of the biggest voices in alternative R&B has been a success story unique to the Internet age, where a complete character reinvention is only a keystroke away. 

But none of this would matter if the music wasn’t any good. Joji would just be another internet content creator looking to parlay his fleeting success into some semblance of a music career. However, he’s shattered that perception with some of the best R&B singles of the past few years. 

From the ‘80s-soaked “Slow Dancing in the Dark” to the brooding, explosive drama of “Run,” Joji has a handful of individual highlights that can go toe-to-toe with just about anyone in his musical lane. Crafting a cohesive, enjoyable album experience, however, has been more of a challenge. 2018’s “Ballads 1” and 2020’s “Nectar” fit snugly into alternative R&B’s lo-fi, depressive sound, but lacked the clarity of vision that the genre’s best records possess. And if “Smithereens” proves anything, it’s that Joji is still a ways away from crafting a fully-realized record. 

The first taste of “Smithereens” was the single “Glimpse of Us,” a track that is one of, if not, the best song Joji has ever released. Although balladry is certainly a factor of his music on previous albums, “Glimpse of Us” served as Joji’s first foray into straightforward soul and singer-songwriter music. The track strips his sound down to its barest and most naked form, and this sparse foundation only serves to highlight the brilliant songwriting on display. It’s truly uncommon that a song, on impact, feels like something timeless. “Glimpse of Us” is that rare example, a track whose gorgeous lead melody and tragic lyrics just hit upon something universally emotional and moving. 

The lead single, as has often been the case for Joji, had me chomping at the bit to hear the direction of this new record. And now that the album is out, that direction seems… unclear. Standing at nine tracks and 24 minutes, “Smithereens” functions more like an EP than a proper album. The first leg of the album features a collection of mellower cuts that lean into the dark, lo-fi balladry of the lead single, to often beautiful results. 

“Die For You,” which was teased before the album’s release, is another track that features a rock-solid, almost classic-feeling melody. Although the song carries the usual modern, DIY aesthetics of a Joji track, there’s a slickness to the songwriting that feels straight out of the ‘70s soul playbook. “Before The Day is Over” carries over similar characteristics, with some immaculate vocal layering on the choruses that gives the track a vivid, panoramic feel. “Dissolve” pairs a shimmering 12-string drone with an elegantly autotuned vocal line from Joji. The track feels like “Lens”-era Frank Ocean clashing with the early-’90s sounds of Ride or the Drop Nineteens, and Joji pulls off this combination of influences with his signature sense of longing and melancholy. The opening leg of “Smithereens” constitutes some of Joji’s best work to date, and would have made for a kick-ass standalone EP. However, it’s on the back end of the record where some familiar issues begin to pop up. 

The final four tracks of this record feels like a B-side collection tacked onto the album to fill out the tracklist, and totally derail the immersive vibe that “Smithereens” had going. These tracks aren’t bad; most of them (especially “YUKON (INTERLUDE)”) bring a distinct and occasionally off-kilter sound. However, they’re so scant and low-impact that it’s hard to even consider them full songs. 

The final leg of this record is criminally under-baked, and I think that “Smithereens” suffers mightily as a result. The album feels like it could have used another few months to fully flesh out the more low-impact moments on the back end, but the current form of the record just doesn’t know what it wants to be. It’s too breezy and short to be a full album, but doesn’t have the artistic focus to be an EP. And while it comes packed full of highlights (as Joji albums tend to do), “Smithereens” is still far from the defining statement many had hoped for Joji.