The debut studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Joji
This album was released on the 26th of October through 88rising Records and 12Tone Music, following the EP In Tongues which was his first project as Joji
- ATTENTION
- SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK
- TEST DRIVE
- WANTED U
- CAN’T GET OVER YOU (feat. Clams Casino)
- YEAH RIGHT
- WHY AM I STILL IN LA (feat. Shlohmo & D33J)
- NO FUN
- COME THRU
- R.I.P. (feat. Trippie Redd)
- XNXX
- I’LL SEE YOU IN 40
ATTENTION
ATTENTION is the first song in ballads 1, it sets a good tone for the rest of the album, as some themes can be found in some way withing most of the other songs in the album. It features a very heavy baseline that is distorted heavily, this gives an almost creepy vibe. Personally this is my favourite song in the album due to it’s unique sound and meaningful lyrics. 9/10
SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK
By far the most popular song in ballads 1, SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK is what a lot of people will remember the album by, which certainly is not a bad thing. Its slow pace melody is great, and goes well with catchy lyrics. 8/10
TEST DRIVE
Along with being a great song, TEST DRIVE has one of the best music videos I have seen in a while. It in itself is quite simple with basic lyrics, but the melody is completely unique with a style that I could only really expect from Joji 8/10
WANTED U
WANTED U seems like a very experimental song using sounds such as cow bells at the start. It involves great lyrics and switched between a sort of mumble rap and singing. 9/10
CANT GET OVER YOU (feat. Clams Casino)
CANT GET OVER YOU feels like a break in the album being more up tempo with a lighter tone. Its catchy melody goes well with simple lyrics along with a fitting video of George skating round on roller skates. In the middle of the song the attitude changes to a darker tone before returning back to what it was like previously. 9/10
YEAH RIGHT
YEAH RIGHT returns the album back to the original slow style. It was released before the rest of the album and wasn’t like anything he had done before but it is clear how it links with the rest of the album. 7/10
WHY AM I STILL IN LA (feat. Shlohmo & D33J)
The use of heavily distorted instruments broken up by pauses or quiet melodies is reminiscent of ATTENTION, yet WHY AM I STILL IN LA keeps its own identity by using a set of instruments not found in the other songs. 8/10
NO FUN
This song is more uptempo like cant get over you, it is obvious what mood that this song is trying to get across from the beat, but the lyrics just solidify that feeling. Joji seems more free after relationships ending. The whole song is care free and it is made very well. 9/10
COME THRU
COME THRU is more high pitch than a lot of the other songs making it feel happier, however the tempo is still quite slow. This song isn’t particularly memorable and is often overlooked when thinking about the album. 6/10
R.I.P (feat. Trippie Redd)
R.I.P almost seems like it separate from the rest of the album, it has such a different sound from the rest of the album, especially with Trippie Redd’s vocals. This isn’t a bad thing as it adds a break in the album which is refreshing. 6/10
XNXX
This song feels more energetic which is ironic as that contradicts it’s lyrics. It is nothing special but it overall adds to that album. 6/10
I’LL SEE YOU IN 40
I am not sure what was the inspiration behind this song but it is almost overwhelming with the amount of sounds and instruments. It’s very experimental and I doubt I would listen to it on it’s own. 5/10
CONCLUSION
I like the direction that Joji is going with his music, i still think he has a lot to develop but this album has showed that he will do what he wants with music. There is a lot of more experimental songs on the album that give it a unique sound that is recognisably Joji overall this album started very strong, but got weaker towards the end. None of the songs were bad in any way, but in my opinion the bar was set high early on, and there was no way for him to continue at that standard throughout. 8/10
Sounds 