Djo Announces New Album, The Crux, Out April 4

Djo - the musical project of actor / producer / songwriter Joe Keery known for his work in blockbuster projects as Stranger Things and Fargo – announces his highly anticipated new album THE CRUX. The follow-up to Djo's 2022 album DECIDE, which featured the blockbuster hit ‘End of Beginning’, THE CRUX will be released on April 4 on AWAL Recordings.

Today, Djo has released the first single ‘Basic Being Basic’. With its Oberheim OB-X8 synths and falsetto refrain, its final verses shrewdly skewer the (often online) tropes of modern day posturing. “It’s kind of a shot fired to anyone who's trying to be of the moment,” says Keery. Listen to the song HERE. Djo will debut ‘Basic Being Basic’ on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,where he’ll also be a couch guest on January 28.

Fans can also pre-save & pre-order THE CRUX HERE beginning today.

Djo has also announced a major 2025 global tour. The Djo - Back On You Tour will feature Post Animal as support on all North American, UK and EU tour dates. In addition to his previously announced appearance on Australia and New Zealand’s Laneway Festival in February, he’ll embark on a North American, UK and European tour throughout the year. The North American dates kick off in Portland, OR at Revolution Hall on April 4 and conclude with a two-night stint at Brooklyn Steel in New York City on May 5 and 6. He’ll begin the UK and European dates in Dublin, Ireland on June 1. Highlights include appearances at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Best Kept Secret Festival, Hurricane Festival and Southside Festival with more dates to be announced soon. Tickets for the North American, UK and EU tour dates go on sale next Friday, January 31 at 9AM local time with the artist pre-sale beginning Tuesday, January 28 at 9AM local. For the North America tour dates, Djo has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 per ticket goes to providing critical relief and long-term recovery support for individuals, families, and communities impacted by the devastating LA wildfires via the PLUS1 LA Fires Fund.

THE CRUX was co-produced by Keery and his long-time collaborator Adam Thein. It's an album of impeccable craftsmanship. Unlike Keery’s previous albums - bedroom recordings centered around synths - THE CRUX spotlights lush guitars and instrumentation reminiscent of late 60’s and 70’s pop. It's an album full of loss and yearning, but also one full of wit and gratitude. The album was written all over the world in a particularly fertile period for Keery - where he was grappling with the transience of his other job, being untethered and away from his friends and family. But to make the album he settled into the legendary Electric Lady Studios in his adopted home of New York City. THE CRUX not only showcases his ambitious scope, but also his skills as a deft multi-instrumentalist and songwriter (all songs were written by Keery or in collaboration with Adam Thein).

What begins as a meditation on the dissolution of a relationship winds its way back to self-resilience, and a celebration and recognition of the importance of nurturing community. These themes are reflected in both his lyrics and in the collaborative spirit of the music, with contributions from his family and lifelong friends lending the album a warm energy mirroring the bonds at the record’s core. Although the songs are rich with specificity, the album plays like a movie soundtrack, where the listener can easily align with a character, situation, or emotion. And this is, in part, how Keery frames the album’s concept through its art - a collaboration with Neil Krug - as a hotel where all of its guests are transient, and at a spiritual or emotional crossroads.

Djo had a massive 2024 with his song ‘End of Beginning’ taking off worldwide, where after climbing to #1 on the Global Spotify chart it was the #6 most streamed song in the world in 2024 with 1.5 BILLION streams and over 60 BILLION TikTok views. The song landed on official single charts in 41 countries, also racking up multiple Platinum & Gold records in 17 territories. ‘End of Beginning’peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, went top 10 at Alternative Radio and #12 at Top 40. This year, ‘End of Beginning’ has now also given Djo his first ever BRIT Award nomination for 'International Song of the Year'.

Though most widely known for his acting roles, Keery has long been an interdisciplinary power-house, and began making music as a teenager. He later joined the psych-rock band Post Animal while in Chicago. In 2019 he released his first album, TWENTY TWENTY under the moniker Djo. In 2022, his remarkable sophomore album DECIDE was released via AWAL to critical acclaim, performances at major U.S. festivals like Lollapalooza, and unparalleled global success on DSPs.

Performance & Interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on January 28

THE CRUX – Tracklisting:

1. Lonesome Is A State of Mind
2. Basic Being Basic
3. Link
4. Potion
5. Delete Ya
6. Egg
7. Fly
8. Charlie’s Garden
9. Gap Tooth Smile
10. Golden Line
11. Back On You
12. Crux
 

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