Heartbreak and longing are melded into sorrowful laden lyrics and stripped acoustic instruments on Joji’s brief third album “SMITHEREENS.” 

From the comedy content creator Filthy Frank to mononymous musician Joji, Japanese singer-songwriter George Miller burst onto the music scene with his EP “In Tongues.” This lifted up the curtain, showing an emotional and serious side of Miller.

Released on Nov. 4, “SMITHEREENS” is a nine-track album with a 24-minute run time split into a side A and side B. 

“Glimpse of Us” begins the festival of sorrow outlining side A of the album. Being the lead single, it was released on June 10, nearly five months before the album’s release, which feels too far apart.

Those months gave the track enough time to have a trend cycle on TikTok, bolstering the song’s popularity, but sadly, it did age the song quickly. 

However, “Glimpse of Us” does deliver in the melancholy category. Miller sings about being with someone, but when he’d look into their eyes, he’d imagine himself with an ex-lover he still longed for. Backed by a lonely piano, Miller’s lyricism shines through brilliantly. 

“Feeling Like The End” incorporates an acoustic guitar and soft trap beat combination that is more lively than the previous track. Miller reflects on a relationship that was promised to last forever, but of course, it didn’t, and moving on proves to be painful.

Just as the track feels as if it is going to take off, it ends.

“Die For You” feels like a lyrical continuation of the previous track with a dreamy pop aura, but Miller is trudging further through the process of moving on with life. Although he has learned to let go and hope his ex-lover is happy without him, he says he’d still die for them. 

This track is more lively with contrasting instrumentals. After the chorus, comes a contained electronic crescendo, but I wish it was more aggressive. 

The piano makes a return in “Before The Day Is Over.” Miller is in a limbo space where he knows his relationship is over, but the end hasn’t been spoken aloud.

Toward the end of the song, a soft trap beat lifts up the song. However, he uses it as an outro, and I wish it was more integral to the song.

“Dissolve” ends side A with a jarring blend of acoustic guitar and auto-tuned vocals. In the beginning of the song, Miller’s lyricism has the same depth as an angsty high school poem, which does not set up the song well. 

Side A does not feel resolved. “Dissolve” doesn’t really do anything to respond to the heartbreak and longing nor does it give it a conclusion.

“NIGHT RIDER” starts side B, and Miller leans more toward a trap beat and rapping, which I enjoy. I think he should rap more because of his calm and smooth flow. Miller says he’s “burning” and “waiting,” and that may lead listeners to think he’s waiting for a lover who is wasting away as he does. 

I don’t know why “BLAHBLAHBLAH DEMO” is on the album. Being such a brief album, how is there time for a demo? Why wasn’t the demo made into a finalized song? Is it for aesthetic reasons? 

The track fits the sound of the album, but lyrically, Miller feels a little lazy here, reaching for simple rhymes and flows that don’t further the album’s story.

“YUKON (INTERLUDE)” is not in the right spot for an interlude. If Miller wanted an interlude, he should have put it in between sides A and B. Interludes on an album are meant to represent a transition or an introduction, especially if there is only one on the album.

Miller should take “interlude” out of the title, because in comparison to some of the previous tracks, it feels far more full. The song is more upbeat, and he sings about being in a truck, but the song ends with two interesting lines: “My voice will be their voice until I’m free/My hands will be their hands until I’m free.”

I am not sure what Miller means, but I do think this is worth exploring.

“1AM FREESTYLE” sounds as if it would be rap led, but no. Miller is singing. He sings about not wanting to be alone and being victim to his own thoughts. 

Soft trap beats make a reappearance in the song and make it feel as if the song would have a more climactic ending, but it doesn’t. The ending is abrupt — which can be a tool in song crafting, but being under two minutes, I can’t be a fool for expecting more to the song. 

Overall, “SMITHEREENS” is very half-baked and does not feel like a fully conceptualized album. It sounds more like a mixtape, and maybe that’s something Miller needs to make in order to better flesh out this new sound he’s going after. 

Brevity is neutral—neither good nor bad—but it depends what the artist does with an album’s brevity. Miller meanders far too much during this small project for it to feel whole and concrete. 

Miller’s lyricism does shine through on this album; however, I don’t think his vocals are strong enough to carry the weight of an album. I feel as though his vocals on “BALLADS 1,” his first album, surpasses that of “SMITHEREENS.” 

“SMITHEREENS” deserves a five out of 10.

In the future, I would like to see some more complex musical compositions from him and something that is less sleepy. I would also like to see him rap more. 

Hopefully, “SMITHEREENS” is a speed bump in Miller’s discography because he has a unique sound, and I hope to see him have a strong comeback. 

[email protected]