By ANGELINA MANDELL, Copy Editor
One thing I’ve been doing lately is reevaluating my music taste. I listen to so many different artists and genres, but never recognize my most-listened-to artists as my favorites. After realizing I listen to quite a bit of artist Joji’s music, I heard he was dropping a new album, “SMITHEREENS” Friday Nov. 4, and had to check it out.
“SMITHEREENS” is a relatively short album compared to Joji’s others, with only nine songs and a total length of 24 minutes. But don’t worry, if you’ve ever experienced that feeling of ‘right person, wrong time,’ 24 minutes is plenty of time to get into your feels.
The starting track is one that many are already familiar with, as it was released as a single and trended on TikTok: “Glimpse of Us.” This song is definitely one to cry to, as it tells the story of someone who was in love and has recently left a relationship to enter a new one. However, he only thinks of his previous lover as he’s in the arms of another. The chorus says, “‘Cause sometimes I look in her eyes/And that’s where I find/A glimpse of us/And I try to fall for her touch/But I’m thinking of/The way it was.”
The second track, “Feeling Like The End,” is a bit more upbeat, but with the same vibe that it is about a breakup that left the singer without closure and missing their ex after they saw the relationship go downhill. The song repeats, “Too many, too many things we did together/You used to promise me it would be forever/Feeling like the end, don’t think it will get better, baby.” Although this song is very short, it’s one of my favorites off the album with its good beat.
Following the progression of the longing for love, the next song, “Die For You” is more emotional as it describes that through all the pain of the relationship, the singer would still do anything for the ex. As if the opening piano didn’t pull on your heartstrings enough, the lyrics “I heard that you’re happy without me/And I hope that’s true/It kills me a little, that’s okay/’Cause I’d die for you/You know I’d still die for you” will get anyone with an ex they miss reaching for the tissue box. “Burning photos/Had to learn to let go/I used to be/Somebody in another skin” cements the theme that they had found the right person but at the wrong time, and now it’s too late to rekindle that love.
“Before The Day Is Over” tells the story of anticipating a breakup after noticing things are different in a relationship. “And I was hoping that we could hold it this time/I know it won’t be long/I know you’re almost gone” shows us that the singer fought for a relationship that he seemed to be the only one in. Grab the tissues again.
“Dissolve” shifts the album in a different direction as they go from reminiscing about the relationship to dealing with the effects the separation had on their mental health and the feeling of loneliness. It opens with “It’s so hard just being me sometimes/ I wish I could escape my mind/Got too many situations/Complicating things, I run out of time…/Please don’t leave me behind.”
“Night Rider” is another track I find skippable as it differs from the mood of the rest. When you get into that emotional state listening to an album, it’s hard to listen and get into another song that changes the vibe so quickly.
“Yukon (Interlude),” “Night Rider” and “BlahBlahBlah Demo” are, in my opinion, tracks that fit oddly in the album. I had mixed feelings about these songs as they didn’t really keep the same vibe as the rest of the album, making it a strange filler and my skips on “SMITHEREENS.”
The final track, “1AM Freestyle,” is my other “SMITHEREENS” favorite. It’s a great way to close the album as it describes the feeling of loneliness, depression and recovery one goes through after a breakup after the rest of the album depicted that relationship. He sings, “I’ve been playing memories in my mind/Wishing you were there like all the time…/I don’t wanna be alone/You know you can make it/But you can’t make it alone.”
Even though the album describes an upsetting, sad topic, I think the way Joji isn’t shy about depicting the true, deep moments of loneliness that everyone feels but might not share after a breakup is beautiful. It’s very relatable, and whether you want to curl up and cry, or just vibe, this album can let you do both.
