Djo, better known as Joe Keery, has brought back the 80’s with his fantastic new album, Decide. Djo, who is well known for his acting roles in Stranger Things, Free Guy, and Spree, released his second studio album on September 16 with 13 tracks. Unafraid to experiment, Djo proves his versatility and ability to grow as an artist with this stunning new album.

The first track off of this album, “Runner”, is a track that immediately grabs your attention with the synths laced throughout. The song builds up in a way that leaves listeners wondering what comes next as Djo sings about taking control of his life and changing as a person. As we near the end of this track, Djo suddenly hits you with a change of pace in the song, with a beat and vocals that are similar to “Let It Happen” by Tame Impala. Djo sounds almost desperate to “try” and change, leaving the listener wanting more. Overall, “Runner” was a gorgeous opener for Decide and perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album. 

“Runner” seamlessly transitions to the second track on the album, “Gloom”. “Gloom” was definitely one of the songs that stood out to me because of how different it was from the rest of the album. Djo channels the sound of Talking Heads in this track with its aggressive, upbeat sound and presents the listener with carefree lyrics. Djo tries something completely new and different with this track, but executes it perfectly and proves his ability to be versatile. This track has definitely grown to be one of my favorites off of this album.

The following track, “Half Life”, starts off somber and gloomy, but quickly catches the listener off guard as Djo transitions this track to an upbeat 80s pop inspired song. Djo’s presents strong vocals and pairs lyrics with a deeper meaning with a more upbeat synth filled beat. Djo also includes a guitar riff that ties this track together. I thoroughly enjoyed this track and think it further proves Djo’s talent as a musician.

The fourth track off of Decide is a unique and groovy track. “Fool”’s verses have a unique spark to them, with Djo speaking them rather than singing them. The musician manages to show off his vocals with the chorus. This track felt fun and experimental and while I wouldn’t say this is my favorite track, I still did enjoy this song and the new direction Djo presents with this song. 

The next track is “On and On”, a meaningful track that makes commentary on our society today. The track discusses social media addiction and cleverly uses the phrase “On and on and on and on” repeatedly to represent the repetitive feeling of scrolling through social media for hours at a time. Djo then introduces a beautifully executed beat switch to signal breaking the cycle and criticizes people’s behavior on social media. Djo’s vocals are again beautifully showcased in this track. From the beat switch to the lyricism, Djo managed to create a beautiful psychedelic pop song. “On and On” is one of my favorite tracks off of Decide and once again showcases Djo’s musical abilities. 

“End of Beginning” is the sixth track on Decide. Immediately, you are hit with a wave of nostalgia by this 80s pop inspired song as Djo reminisces on his time in Chicago. The musician gets personal on this track and touches on his roots, identity, and past. This track heavily reminded me of 80s pop band, Tears For Fears. With this track, Djo is able to successfully communicate his feelings of nostalgia to the listener with the lyrics and it was something that stuck with me throughout the rest of the album. 

Djo provides a change of pace from the previous track with “I Want Your Video”. The 7th track on Decide is a funky and fun song that’ll be stuck in your head for days. Again proving his versatility, Djo has created a track that makes you want to dance with its synths, which have been present in almost every track on this album, and bass lines. This catchy tune presents a different vibe from the rest of the album. With its retro sound, this track certainly isn’t forgettable. 

Something that stood out to me about the 8th track on this album is how the electric vocals remind you of Daft Punk. “Climax” is a unique track, with its electric Daft Punk-esque vocals and psychedelic pop beat. Djo sings about Déjà Vu and feeling as if he’s met someone before, but he is unsure of where and when. The beat quickly changes as he whispers “It terrifies me, It terrifies me”, leaving off on a mysterious note. “Climax” was a track that felt like something out of a science fiction movie. “Climax” was an enjoyable track because of how unique and different it felt.

Following “Climax” is “Change”, which was the first single released off of Decide. This track is an upbeat psychedelic pop song that feels like the perfect mix of his debut album, Twenty Twenty, and Decide. The chorus of this track grabs the listeners attention as Djo provides contrasting vocals. As the track nears its end, Djo realizes that perhaps Change isn’t that bad of a thing. This song has been a favorite of mine since it came out and I’ve only grown to enjoy it more each time I listen to it. “Change” is followed by a 20 second 8-bit interlude titled “Is That All It Takes” which asks the question, “Is that all it takes?”. The interlude is a creative break that perfectly matches the uniqueness of Djo and Decide. 

Djo beautifully transitions from “Is That All It Takes” to “Go For It”, with hints of the 8-bit style still present at the start of the track. In this track, Djo discusses miscommunication in a relationship and the struggles that come with miscommunication. Djo manages to keep the listener on their toes as the beat switches multiple times throughout the song, which was something that had really stuck out to me. Djo has also stated that the intro of this track was heavily inspired by pop musician, Charli XCX, which was something I had not expected. This track was definitely one of the more interesting tracks off of Decide and it was a track that stood out to me due to the many unique elements Djo had included in this track. 

As we are nearing the end of Decide, Djo presents the stunning track that is “Figure You Out”. Fans of David Bowie will immediately hear the influences of David Bowie’s “Life On Mars?” on the verses. “Figure You Out” was one of the most impressive showcases of Djo’s vocals and shows off his versatility. Once again, Djo also is able to make a catchy track that’ll have you repeating the phrase “I’ve been trying to figure you out” in your mind. “Figure You Out” is by far my favorite song off of Decide and has been on repeat for me ever since the album came out. From the clear David Bowie inspiration to the beautiful vocals, everything off of this track made it come together perfectly.

Djo ends off the album with the stunning final track, “Slither”. The 13th and final track off of Decide was a perfect way to tie the album together, with its beautiful synths, something that has clearly been an iconic part of this album, and a beautiful buildup. Djo manages to bring his 80’s inspirations all the way to the end. I thought this was a perfect ending for Decide. Like many tracks off of this album, “Slither” was a creative song that was gorgeously executed.

Djo shows off his talent in Decide, somehow managing to top his debut album, Twenty Twenty. Djo manages to be personal and vulnerable in this album all while showing what a versatile artist he is and how easily he can cater to different ears. The versatility this album provides gives it the ability to cater to many different music tastes and gives people the ability to discover a whole new world within music. From drawing inspiration from iconic musicians everyone knows and loves to creating something unique, this album truly makes you wonder, what’s next from Djo?