Album: Joji – SMITHEREENS
On his third LP SMITHEREENS, Joji tries to pick up the pieces after heartbreak. Split into two sides—Side A deals with wanting to reconcile with a past love, while B is the aftermath of the failed reconciliation—the project follows its narrative over a mix of trap, electronic and lo-fi beats. The album opens with the haunting piano ballad "Glimpse of Us", in which Joji can't help but think of his past partner, even though he has a new one. "Why, then, if she is so perfect/Do I still wish that it was you?/Perfect don't mean that it's working/So what can I do?" he sorrowfully croons. This raw honesty becomes a common theme throughout Side A, with Joji longing to be reunited with his partner and refusing to let go of them ("Feeling Like the End", "Before the Day Is Over"). Joji embraces the uncertainties in the fast-paced ballad "YUKON (INTERLUDE)", deciding to move on from the past love that he's fixated on at the beginning of the album. The outcome of that appears on the closer "1AM FREESTYLE", where Joji mourns the finality of his failed relationship. "I've been playing memories in my mind/Wishing you were there, like all the time/So I'm not alone," he sings. "And I'm tired of this madness/Tired of being stranded/I don't wanna be alone."