Djo
Djo is the psychedelic-pop and synth-pop project of Joe Keery, the American actor known for Stranger Things, who studied at DePaul University in Chicago and played guitar in the psych-rock band Post Animal before launching a solo career in 2019 with the album 'Twenty Twenty.' His 2022 record 'DECIDE' spawned 'End of Beginning,' a nostalgic reflection on leaving Chicago for Los Angeles that became a sleeper hit after going viral on TikTok in early 2024. Across 'DECIDE' and its 2025 follow-up 'The Crux,' he blends warped, phasing synths, layered vocal harmonies, and 1960s-through-1980s pop-rock songcraft into a hybrid that critics have consistently placed in the lineage of modern neo-psychedelia.
Keery has named Tame Impala as a key influence, and reviewers have repeatedly likened his production to Kevin Parker's woozy, synth-forward psychedelia — NME compared Djo's warped soundworld to both Tame Impala and Ariel Pink. His single 'Change' in particular was widely described on release as Tame Impala-esque, built on heavy synths, layered vocals, and a floaty, mid-tempo groove.
listen forThrow on Tame Impala's 'The Less I Know the Better' and then Djo's 'Change' — listen for the same phasing, rubbery synth-bass pulse and the way a soft, layered falsetto floats loosely over the beat rather than driving it.
The Beatles are a recurring touchstone in discussions of Djo's melodic, harmony-stacked songwriting, and his 2025 album 'The Crux' leaned openly into bright 1960s-style pop-rock craft. You can hear that classic-pop melodicism in the way his hooks pile up sunny backing vocals over jangling, major-key chords.
listen forPut the Beatles' 'Here Comes the Sun' next to Djo's 'Delete Ya' — listen for the bright, ascending chord turn and the cushion of stacked backing harmonies that lift the chorus, that same warm, unhurried melodic sweetness.
Pink Floyd's atmospheric, immersive studio soundscapes are frequently cited among the classic-rock influences Djo draws on, and his moodier album tracks favor slow-building, spacious production over quick pop payoff. That taste for enveloping texture surfaces on the murkier corners of 'DECIDE.'
listen forCue Pink Floyd's 'Time' and then Djo's 'Gloom' — listen for the same patient, atmospheric build and roomy, echoing production, the way the arrangement swells and hangs in space before the groove fully settles in.