Djo talks his latest album ‘The Crux’ over some Vegemite toast
In Australia for Laneway festival, Joe Keery, the actor and musician known as Djo, chats to Esquire about the stories behind his new album, plus breakout banger 'End of Beginning'
By Amy Campbell
JOE KEERY has never tried Vegemite. “Should we do a Marmite test?” asks the actor and musician, who, under the monniker Djo, makes electro indie-pop music with a ’70s tinge. We’re partway through chatting about his new album, The Crux, which drops in April, when the toast is handed to him. He takes a bite, chews for a bit, thinks. His verdict? “It’s kind of like soy sauce or something.”
He’s forgiven for mistaking the tar-black spread for its British cousin, as this is his first time visiting Australia. He’s in town for the music festival Laneway when we catch up for an afternoon snack, two days after his Sydney Laneway appearance, as we discuss his highly anticipated new album, The Crux.
Coming off the back of a big 2024 – his chart-topper ‘End of Beginning’ became the sixth most streamed song of the year on Spotify and unofficial TikTok anthem, with over 60 billion views – the new album marks an evolution of his sound. Unlike what we’ve heard from him so far – bedroom recordings centred around synths – The Crux presents Keery as a multidisciplinary, multi-instrumental powerhouse. Inspired by late ’60s and ’70s pop, he co-produced with album with his long-time collaborator Adam Thein. The result is a record of lush guitars and instrumentation.
Keery, who, by now, you’ll have probably identified as playing the abundantly-maned Steve Harrington in Netflix smash hit Stranger Things, describes writing the record in a “fertile period” of his life that currently sees him moving away from his role Harrington (Keery will not return after the fifth season has aired later this year), to focus on the Djo project.
‘Basic Being Basic’ is the first track on the album to be released; a song with synths and a falsetto refrain about the modern woes of social posturing, which he debuted live in January on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “It has a bit of an edge to it. It’s very different, I think, to a lot of the songs on the album,” he tells Esquire, “It’s kind of just about embracing who you are.”
Later in our chat, we recommend that he tries the Vegemite toast with a square of cheese. “That’s pretty good. I’d eat that,” he says with a full mouth. As he prepares for the rest of his Laneway appearances in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth, and before embarking on the rest of his global Djo: Back On You tour, watch our full interview with the musician as he talks us through the meaning behind some of his hits and new songs.
Related:
The best TV series, movies and documentaries to stream in February
Did Kendrick Lamar’s Canadian tuxedo at the Grammys have a deeper meaning?
