Indie Light

Djo is the performing name for actor and musician, Joseph David Keery. He is perhaps best known for his role as Steve “The Hair” Harrington on the Netflix hit series, Stranger Things. However he is equally talented as a musician, and in fact we’ve covered the artist before on Indie Light and you can click here to read more. Today, I’m proud to share my thoughts on his album ‘Decide’ which was released September 16th 2022.

‘Runner’ kicks off with electronic trilling chords that create a steady beat, and flow into Djo’s vocals, his voice has a soft, smooth cadence, and it’s synth boosted for extra oomph. The track builds from there, the core melody fleshing out with even more electronic beats, the percussive elements especially really packs wallop. Overall it’s a really strong intro, with the right balance of energy and melody to both engage a listener and be pleasing to the ear. Also perhaps its the electronic vibe, and I did make this point in a review of another Djo release but it would be perfect video game music, especially the bouncy bass driven latter half of the track. 

‘Gloom’ has a darker beat off the bat, deeper, bass fuelled vibes, and also more superb, heavy percussive elements that really shape things up nicely. Again I have to compliment Djo’s voice, he’s obviously a talented vocalist, and his style works well within the style of this track and album thus far. This track especially has some strong vocal elements, the delivery, the cadence, all of it work together really well. 

‘Half Life’ kicks off with building synthy tones, sort of like a computer calling out for help, it’s all very atmospheric, and there’s depth and darkness to the track that’s really pleasing, and then it shifts, a more melodic note creeps into Djo’s voice, and the track becomes bigger, bouncy percussion and bass blend together with his vocals. I personally really enjoyed this track a lot, it’s easily one of my favourites in what I’m already certain is going to be a spectacular album. I think what I like most about the album so far is the vibrancy and energy, no track is simple, each one has a potency to it that’s quite invigorating. Yet another reason why it would make good video game music. 

‘Fool’ opens with a funky melody, and a softer, and slightly quirky vocal delivery, it’s slow and smooth and it just sounds good to the ear. The whole track just has a nice offbeat quality that really works for me. I said above that I’m already confident this will be another standout album for the artist, and this track really decides it for certain. In fact while it’s really close as all the tracks are of a high standard this one might be my personal favourite on the entire album. 

‘On and On’ has a sort of alarm bell beeping, undercut by a building bass, and some more solid vocals. He performs this track in a lower vocal register than most of the previous tracks and it really works, as you get to hear another side to his voice and honestly so far Djo has continued to impress me both in terms of his vocal performance but his compositional skills as right on the heels of my personal favourite this is another absolute banger, especially with the outstanding percussive beats as we head towards the end of the track. 

‘End of Beginning’ kicks off with some light percussive beats, and some incredibly tight vocals, his voice smooth and bright and resonant, and just perfect. This audio has been making the rounds on socials and I can see why as it’s yet another amazing performance by the artist, I mean it’s a little less frenetic than the previous entries on the album, more chill and that works well as it balances out the album but more so than that is how its a showcase of Djo’s phenomenal vocal talents. 

‘I Want Your Video’ is another quirky one, Djo kicks off with a synth infused falsetto, and another bouncy, funky melody, that picks this up quite nicely after the aforementioned more chill entry. As I said above, the previous track has been on social media…a lot. I’m genuinely quite surprised this one hasn’t been because it has a really solid vibe, and plenty of energy. It’s also really catchy which is always a bonus. 

‘Climax’ is slower and deeper, a beat formed of weighty percussion and strings, I would say compared to some of the other entries in this album, the melody is more stripped back, but while that may be the case it’s still a really engaging song, the synthy vocals are really pleasing to the ear and overall it’s a really solid track. 

‘Change’ opens with a steady percussive beat that goes throughout the track, blending in strong bass components which culminate in nice rises and falls in the melody, solid drops that really create an engaging and catchy beat. Vocally Djo does not let down as we move into the second half of the album, catchy lyrical hooks and synth boosting that really just tie the whole track together. 

‘Is That All It Takes’ is a nice musical interlude, I’m always a fan of these in tracks, it’s a melodic repetition with augmented vocals, but perhaps my favourite part of it is that It doesn’t feel like a jarring inbetween, instead it flows quite nicely into the next track, and seamlessly from the track before it. 

‘Go for It’ explodes forward with a powerful bass infused beat, bleeds into an energetic electronic melody, and some more solid vocals. I’ve mentioned it before but I really like Djo’s voice, he’s clearly a talented singer, and while some of the tracks are augmented to some degree it’s not because he needs it, but instead to add to the overall vibe of the track. This track has a nice forward momentum, I’m especially a big fan of the crashing, bashing notes towards the end, they as I’ve said a couple times now evoke a very video game feel which adds to the whole thing for me. 

‘Figure You Out’ starts off as another relatively stripped back melody with just solid drums and light electronic tones, it builds somewhat but overall it’s just a nice, chill ambient track, again by counterpointing other more energetic or busy tracks it helps to balance the album out. I think this also has some of the best vocals of the entire album. 

‘Slither’ kicks off with percussion and vocals, and it has one of the most satisfying builds on the album, the vocals and instrumentals working together, a nice back and forth, rise and fall, that create a truly awesome conclusion to what has been a superb album. 

So that’s what I thought of Djo’s album ‘Decide’ and if you want to check that out for yourself then head on over to Spotify. While you’re at it, make sure and support the artist by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.