Joji’s Ballads 1 Might Make You Cry- But in the Best Way Possible

Joji’s Ballads 1 Might Make You Cry- But in the Best Way Possible

  Last Friday, angsty anti-pop artist ‘Joji’ released his long awaited studio album Ballads 1. Full of cinematic beats, electric adlibs and pure moodiness, Ballads 1 is perfect for a dark night of crying on the floor.

  As he shifts away from his viral video roots of “Filthy Frank,” Ballads 1 works to solidify Joji’s artistic sound as one of melancholy and desperation. In his first full length project, Joji effectively serves as the main producer with features from fellow new wave artists like Trippie Redd, Clams Casino and Shlohmo. Despite the presence of heavy hitting features, Joji’s production style shines through in this album and emphasizes the loneliness and longing- expected in every Joji song.

  In songs like “Slow Dancing in the Dark” Joji’s strong production accompanies even better lyrics. Over a dark ambient beat, lyrics of:

“Give me reasons we should be complete/ You should be with him, I can’t compete/ You looked at me like I was someone else, oh well,” emphasize his views on failing relationships and one sided love.

  Sad lyrics like this especially resonate with teenagers who tend to be a bit on the emo side. In consultation with Tampa Prep’s self-proclaimed resident Joji connoisseur – Alex Keslar, it seems that Joji has improved since his previous project In Tongues.

  “The vocals and the production on Ballads 1 are definitely a step up and the advertising has really gotten his name out there. It was definitely a better project than In Tongues,” Keslar said. Unfortunately, it somewhat missed the mark in terms of cohesiveness.

“Ballads 1 is sort of a mix of emotions all thrown at you at once,” Keslar said. With more upbeat songs like “No Fun”,“Can’t Get Over You, ” and “Midsummer Madness”  flowing into lofi instrumentals like “Yeah Right,” this project is all over the place.

  Although the album definitely lacked cohesiveness, its strong production style and lyrics help bring Joji into the mainstream music scene. Whenever you feel like crying or bopping around, turn on Ballads 1 and let the tears roll.