Of the many breakout stars that Stranger Things has produced over the years, Joe Keery is certainly one of the most iconic, beloved by fans and TikTok edit makers the world round for his portrayal of the lovable (if frazzled) Steve Harrington. But, amongst Keery’s many on-screen roles recently, including an appearance in last year’s Free Guy, there’s also another side project that many fans are hardly aware of: his music, produced under the pseudonym Djo.
It’s that project that’s keeping Keery busy post Stranger Things season four, with the musician gearing to release a new album, Decide, in September. He released the first single off the album, titled “Change,” in June, but now he’s back with another, a sappy two-minute track titled “Gloom”. Promoted on the Djo Instagram, fans were invited to call 928-8-DECIDE to hear a short snippet of the track, with an ‘80s-esque visual saying, “Feeling gloomy? Get the enlightenment you need to make the decisions you deserve — call now!”
The song, which has been released on streaming platforms but has not received a music video, is a turn away from the style of “Change”, but stills plays on the electronic style that Djo has become known for. Rolling Stone described the song as being similar to Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” though it seems much more direct than David Byrne’s off-the-wall musings interspersed with French courtesy of bassist Tina Weymouth. While the ending of “Gloom” skews into the realm of 1980s punk with its hectic anger and frustration, Keery’s work doesn’t leave him beholden to anyone who came before him, evoking the kind of hyperactive anxiety of millenials and Gen Z listeners as he repeats the phrase “I’m ready to go” until the song hits it breaking point and cuts out.
Decide will be Djo’s sophomore album when it premieres in two months on September 16, the follow-up to his 2019 album, ironically titled Twenty Twenty. He’s been promoting the album by parodying the kind of bad infomercials one would see if they’d stayed up too late in the late 1980s and early 1990s, dressing in a bad wig and a poorly-fitted suit to create the character of a sleazy motivational speaker. This isn’t the first time Keery has done this — similarly, to promote his movie Spree, the star created content for an in-world Instagram account.
Decide hits streaming platforms everywhere on September 16. Listen to “Gloom” below: