By Jordan Hum | Copy Editor
After a two-year layoff from his last album, former YouTube pioneer turned lo-fi R&B star George Miller, most commonly known as Joji, returned with his third studio album, “Smithereens” on Nov. 4. With much anticipation, Joji delivers an enthralling journey through heartbreak, but a short run time only gives a glimpse of the album’s potential.
The album could be split into two parts stylistically, signified by the capitalization of the song titles and the change in production. The first five songs are a collection of piano-heavy ballads, whereas the last four utilize trap beats for a more club-hit approach. While both parts complement each other well, I found myself enjoying the first half more through each listen.
The tracklist begins with “Glimpse of Us,” the lead single that was released on June 10, which landed Joji his first top ten hit on the Billboard Top 100. The song takes listeners through the mind of someone longing for an ex-lover with a melancholic chord progression accompanied by a wide range of vocals that will leave even the most apathetic in tears. This is far and away the best song on the album, which might leave listeners disappointed by the rest of the tracks since “Glimpse of Us” served as the precursor.
“Die For You” is the best of the non-single songs, and tells the story of letting go but still wanting the best for a previous partner. As the bridge and chorus crescendo, the feeling of a bittersweet goodbye is amplified. Once the instrumental hits, a transcendent symphony of reverbed strings, drums, synths, and piano graces the ears of any listener. I loved this song and the ethereal feeling it gave me, and it has been on repeat since my first listen.
“Before the Day Is Over” and “Dissolve” round out the end of the first half of the album, and function as a catchy cool-down from the previous song, while also being a segway into the second half of the album. Both have a heavy lo-fi approach with lyrics about an ending relationship.
“NIGHT RIDER” is the first song of the second half, and the switch in production styles is immediate. The song begins with a deep 808 bass followed by an electronic voice sample in the beat, as Joji describes the numbing of a relationship.
The following song, “BLAHBLAHBLAH DEMO,” is exactly what it sounds like from the title. While the instrumental is one of the grooviest on the album, the lyrics seem to be gibberish. Overall, the song feels unfinished, which is why I thought it was the weakest on the tracklist.
“YUKON (INTERLUDE)” is the best song of the second half with an upbeat, yet melancholic instrumental. The song, which was released as a single on Aug. 26, depicts driving as a distraction from a loved one, and serves its purpose as an interlude.
Ending the album is “1AM FREESTYLE,” which was disappointing as the ending track. While it tied up the theme of a goodbye through the lyrics and linked the first and second half instrumentally with a heavy piano approach and trap beat, I felt underwhelmed after listening to it. I thought the album could have ended on a more powerful note, with a song like “Die For You” making for a better ending.
Overall, Joji comes through with a compelling story accompanied by harrowing and melancholic instrumentals. However, with a run time of only 25 minutes, the album feels unfinished by the end. Still, “SMITHEREENS” makes for a great listen that will certainly hit all the feels, especially on those late night drives.
