Joji released his third studio album, “SMITHEREENS” on Nov. 4. With nine songs on the new album, his leading single “Glimpse of Us” peaked at number eight on the “Billboard Hot 100.” This album is about heartbreak and reconciling Joji’s past relationship. 

“SMITHEREENS” is split into two different emotions: heartbreak and reconciling. The first five songs tell a story of missing a past relationship and wanting it back. The last four songs continue the story with picking up the pieces of the shattered relationship.

 His leading single, “Glimpse of Us,” was released on June 10 and is about being in a relationship with someone new and still seeing glimpses of their old relationship in their new lover’s eyes because they can’t move on. With over 630 million streams, “Glimpse of Us” remains the most played song from the album. This song was well written and produced and can make one reminisce about their past relationship.

“Die For You,” a beautifully written song that pulls on the heartstrings of the listeners, and because of that, has gained popularity for its lyrics. The meaning behind these lyrics are raw and intense; it’s about trying to move on from a past relationship, while the other person moves on faster and finds happiness outside of that relationship, even though the other person would still die for them. 

However, with every great album, there are always a few critiques for the artist. With Joji’s new album, one critique would be to make the album longer. With nine songs and only a playing time of 24 minutes, it is quite a short album. Especially compared to his previous album, which had 18 songs and had a playing time of 53 minutes.

Additionally, if there were a different variety of songs, this album would’ve gained a larger appeal. The songs all had a common theme of anger and sadness regarding past relationships, going beyond that and creating a more diverse album would have attracted a larger audience.

All in all, with the transition from song to song, the story that the album tells and the lyrics, this is a great album.