Opinion: Joji’s Nectar Album Review
Every now and then, in between car rides and zone-outs, I’ll pause, only to find myself humming the melody of Joji’s “Slow Dancing in the Dark.” Its infectious, catchy tune seems to find its way into my head when least expected. Other times, I’ll find the oddly reassuring chorus of his song, “Demons,” wandering around in my mind, the phrase “This is not a threat, I promise” on loop. A select few of Joji’s songs occasionally venture out of my subconscious, peeking into my awareness, while the rest seem to remain utterly forgettable. Not a lot of that changed with his most recent album, titled “Nectar”.
I was originally quite intrigued by the news of “Nectar”’s release. The title itself suggested a lush sonic world of synths, dreamy choruses, and ethereal percussion. My imagination ran wild, envisioning immersive production and memorable hooks. What I was met with was an underwhelming, diluted mix of underdeveloped ditties, occasionally exciting production, and inconsistent songwriting.
While the album’s starter, “Ew,” features delicate falsetto vocals, reverb-drenched pianos and string synths, it lacks punch, and kept me wanting something more. “MODUS,” however, had me nodding along a little. It definitely has more in terms of instrumental dynamic range. I found an overwhelming amount of this album’s tracklist to be composed of what sounded like filler material. Songs like “Tick Tock,” “NITROUS,” “Normal People,” and “Mr. Hollywood,” sounded rather insignificant and half-baked, despite the occasional percussive intrigue here and there. The track “High Hopes” lacks buildup and direction, despite its textured percussion and cinematic strings. “Reanimator” features exciting soundscapes, with growling synths and lots of thump, but I found the vocal melodies to be uninspired. “777” has a compelling amount of sonic variance, but the vocals use a nearly comical amount of pitch correction, and the song itself sounds more like a ringtone than an actual song. “Your Man” features mundane, repetitive cliches as lyrics, lazily thrown over a four-on-the-floor beat. “Pretty Boy” tries to unravel the duality of self-confidence and self-destruction, but the somewhat bland vocal delivery takes the bite out of it. “Gimme Love” has a fast-paced appeal, but remains melodically plain, only to attempt to redeem itself with a saccharine bridge that comes off as over-the-top.
Joji seems to have a tendency to abruptly cut off songs in order to end them. While this may be a stylistic strategy, it has been used far too often in Joji’s other work, including various tracks off of “Nectar.” With this frequent usage, it seems like a rather indifferent way to end a song – as if it is an excuse to stop. Dramatic strategies like this and Joji’s affinity for overblown string synths make “Nectar” seem a bit pretentious. In addition to this, many of the uneventful songs off of this album seem like unfinished ideas that are present to only increase quantity, thus presenting an 18-song tracklist.
Despite this album’s inconsistencies, there are a few noteworthy tracks that are bound to become earworms – tracks that in the near future, I will likely find myself mindlessly humming to in the car. “Like You Do” is a melancholic, synth-filled ballad with soft, electronic instrumentation, reminiscent of a lullaby. I found the most stunning song on this album to be “Run.” From the raw, soulful vocal delivery to the immaculate production, wailing guitar solo, and punchy drum hits, this song is hands-down the most well-executed track on this otherwise mediocre album.
I can see that Joji has a feel for escapism.
“Nectar” is saturated with synth pads, strings, reverb-heavy pianos, and steady percussion. Harmonies and choruses make their way in and out, while Joji’s voice presents itself in straightforward layers, falsetto whines and whispers, and lazy statements. I will say that overall, “Nectar” does offer a bit more excitement in terms of production compared to his previous work, but other than that, in my humble opinion, this album was unfortunately underwhelming.