Fresh off one of the biggest streaming runs of 2024, Djo—the musical alias of actor and producer Joe Keery—returns with “Potion,” a final single from his just-released album The Crux. Known to most as Steve Harrington in Stranger Things, Keery is rapidly redefining himself not just as an actor who makes music, but as a musician with a fully realized artistic voice — and “Potion” is proof.
Stripped down and sun-soaked, the track trades synths for something warmer, more analog—a soft, Laurel Canyon-acoustic mood anchored by Keery’s falsetto and a pocketful of nostalgia. “’Potion’ like your favorite pair of blue jeans,” he says, and it shows. With echoes of Harry Nilsson and Lindsey Buckingham, Keery plays nearly every instrument here—guitar, drums, bass, Mellotron—putting his multi-instrumental chops right up front.
The Crux, out now via AWAL, leans further into lush, guitar-driven songwriting. Co-produced with long-time collaborator Adam Thein, the record departs from bedroom synth-pop and lands in a space that feels cinematic, confessional, and far-reaching in ambition. Written across continents but brought to life at New York’s iconic Electric Lady Studios, the album is steeped in the feelings of transition, self-reflection, and creative rebirth.
Coming off the global viral success of “End of Beginning”—Spotify’s sixth most-streamed track of 2024—Djo is showing no signs of slowing. With a sold-out North American run kicked off this month, a stacked festival lineup (Coachella, Glastonbury, Lollapalooza), and a UK residency at the O2 Kentish Town Forum this June, 2025 looks like the year Djo fully steps out from under the shadow of his screen fame and into the spotlight of something much bigger.
Stream “Potion” on Spotify:
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