JOJI // PISS IN THE WIND // ALBUM REVIEW

So, here it is, after all this time. We've been patiently waiting since October of last year to see where Joji would be heading this time around - and on the release of his fourth full length studio album Piss In the Wind, we see the Australian youtuber turned full time musician in what might argue is his best iteration yet. Both stripping back and blasting forward, Joji offers a diverse and succinct soundscape in this new records 45 minute runtime, proving why the wait has been more than worth it, with only small moments where that momentum takes an ill turn. As there are 21 tracks on this record, I'll only be writing some short paragraphs on each song as a whole, instead of doing my usual prattling - just to save some time and potential for carpal tunnel! No use waiting around then, here is my track by track breakdown and review of Piss In the Wind:

(Album art for PITW - 2026)

1. Pixelated Kisses - 1:50

If you read my previous review on this track, then you know that I think it's brilliant - even better as the opener for the entire album too. Full of chaos, bite, and some killer production, this song is an absolute adventure beginning to end. Although it's short, and the lyrics are just repeated twice, it by no means lessens it's impact and declaration for this record. No holes barred, no stone unturned, no rule book written.

2. Cigarette - 1:51

More of a brooding track than the previous explosion of sound, Cigarette is the perfect palette cleanser after the chaos of the opener. Reserved and punchy, the lyrics and flow are impeccable, giving the entire track more of a lo-fi vibe with muted hats and a chunky bassline with the subtle vocal harmonies laced with reverb. Again, a short one, but still a solid entry.

3. Last of a Dying Breed - 2:30

As much as I loved Pixelated Kisses, I have to say that this is my favourite of the singles released for this album. Upbeat, full of reverbed vocals and a really beautiful soundscape, this song is so replayable it hurts. It's packed with some really vibrant sonic texture, no matter where you tune into, it's something new, a buzzing synth, a small vocal stem, and it's just joyous to experience. And I'm glad this one is over a minute or so long, so you can really enjoy it and ease into it - impeccable.

4. Love You Less - 3:21

This one feels like an emotional successor to Glimpse of Us in it's content, chronicling the breakdown of an unbalanced relationship. Focusing more on the vocals than the flashy production aspects, this song oozes emotion. The drums are live recorded, with a gentle buzzing bass and gentle vocal melodies, it's by no means boring, but feels more organic than the other tracks offered so far. It's another longer entry too, so you get so invested in the song, the story. This one was also released as a single, and in my head comes a very close third, it's a piece of music you can really sink your teeth into, and really experience for what it is, and I love that.

5. If it Only Gets Better - 1:09

Simple and easy, this song feels more like an interlude than a fully realised song, but that's not a bad thing. It's gentle, easy to enjoy, and even though there's nothing that's standout, it's by no means a dud run - it's just so fleeting that you can't really dig any deeper than what's on the surface.

6. Love Me Better - 1:53

Based around a gentle piano melody and rapid drum machine, this song plays with a dichotomy of textures to create a really cohesive fast paced track. Again leaning into that lo-fi sound, the vocals are right at the front of the mix, and Joji is flexing that higher register. Nothing sounds unsupported or forced, he has a really brilliant vocal range, and it really suits this track, especially in the moments of harmony.

7. Pieces of You (ft. Giveon) - 2:15

This song opens again with piano, and reverbed vocals. It feels like something a little gentler, more introspective. Giveon takes up most of the track here, his softer vocals running over a clicky and simplified drum beat. It's a great song, again boiled down to only the necessary components, allowing those lyrics and vocals to really hold the spotlight. It's a good track, but not one I'd have on repeat - only because it's so cut and dry, and slightly relies on the feature for the main body of it.

8. Hotel California - 2:09

Any time I hear this song, I have a knee jerk reaction to sing along. This song is such an ear worm, catchy and simple, and a joy to listen to. First opening with an easy guitar loop before morphing into a hefty drum beat, this song is again such easy listening that you can't help but play it over and over again. It handles a really delicate sense of rise and fall, wrapping itself up with these brilliant rising synths in the final few seconds. It's again full of that sonic texture, and produced perfectly to hit both the eardrums and the heartstrings.

9. Tarmac - 1:35

Tarmac feels again like more of an interlude than a fully fledged track, but it's still a well made track. A detuned picked guitar and another sturdy drum beat underpin the entire track. If I have any criticism of this one, it's just that it's a little repetitive. The main line is repeated constantly, and by the end I was a little sick of it, so I'm glad it didn't overstay it's welcome.

10. Forehead Touch the Ground - 1:57

This track marks the halfway point of this record, and instantly makes me think of Joji's earlier work. Although on my first few listens I found it a touch hard to grasp the beat, now I appreciate the slow burn, the almost viscous sound that comes from the drum machine, coating this song in those early vibes. There are some awesome moments of vocal melody in this track, pushing those words further and further. I also love the lyrics, seemingly harking back to a relationship where someone keeps making mistakes, but continues to be let back into the fold.

11. Past Won't Leave My Bed - 2:46

Harking back once again to the seminal Glimpse of Us, this piano ballad is an emotional journey of self discovery. Giving this one a longer run time really lets it take you on that ride, and immerse yourself in the story of this track. When that first chorus hits, I'll admit I got instant goosebumps. That sudden blasting bass, the insanely high vocals, the distorted guitar, it all meshes together perfectly. Lyrically it feels personal, like Joji is bearing his soul to the listener, and in those moments where the vocals are at the forefront, you hear that in the delivery. Really special track, and one that's sure to become another instant classic.

12. Fade to Black (ft. 4Batz) - 1:16

Instantly coming in with the feature, 4Batz's voice pitched up sounds great against the gentle soundscape, the piano and vocal melodies. However, it feels a little squandered on such a short track, that in my opinion pretty clunkily brings in and out the drum machine to a point where I was taken out of the gentle vibes quite violently on my first listen. By no means a highlight here, and a shame that something with so much starting potential came across quite strangely.

13. Can't see Shit in the Club - 2:52

Another gentle track here, simply put together, and with those drums and vocals, it once again feels like a deeper cut from In Tounges - it feels retro, a slow burn, the foreboding synth sitting in the background, grunting the much needed texture this soundscape needed. In the moments of slight chaos, the decay, the glitches, it adds that new shade, a slight edge that I think is really vital in this track. It keeps you engaged between the clean cut vocals and more gentle moments of growth and retraction. Not one to be played in the club - it's far too tame for that, but a good song nonetheless.

14. Sojourn - 2:56

Can I be entirely honest with you? Well, this next track is my favourite on the entire record. I ADORE this song. It's like Pixelated Kisses' older brother. Full of the chaos that scratches my brain perfectly, that buzzing 808 style bass, the hefty snare sound and chaotic vocal stems, this song is a journey, a fist fight, sheer and utter brilliance. The vocals float above this insanity perfectly, and it's an experience that when hearing it for the first time was simply unmatched. I physically exhaled, and had to close my eyes just to experience this song singularly. If you haven't heard this song, please go and listen to it, it's a transformative experience, even in the brief moment of reflective silence before smalling straight back into the fray. Sheer and utter perfection.

15. DYKILY - 2:38

The next track, short for Don't You Know I Love You, keeps up that pace from the last, leaning on some heavily reverbed vocals and rapid drum machine. It's a great mix of that introspection and also chaos from the last track, balancing it on a knife edge. It's dynamic and melodic, full of brilliant production details and textures that you discover on every new listen. It's a solid track, easy to listen to and enjoy in it's entirety.

16. Rose Coloured (ft. Yeat) - 2:34

We're back to the detuned guitar here, and as the beat comes in, this song comes with a much more R&B type vibe than the rest of the record. The drum beat is clean, the bass a simple thumping four on the floor. It takes an odd change when Yeat comes into it, melding insanely tuned up vocals to make an almost alien soundscape - which even on this listen I'm not sure I vibe with. The rest of the track is good, bringing back in the beat to continue on. What I think is a real highlight of this track is the outro, with the sampled vocals and punchy synths, creating this dense melodic motif that's played through till the end - it's a real display of efficient and out of the box production, and really ends this song on a high.

17. Silhouette Man - 1:26

We're back to the more gentle entries with this next track, which although fleeting, is really interesting. Starting pitched down, and then flipping up a couple of octaves back to the original sounding recording. It's a cool feature that feels really natural. It again is so fleeting that it feels more like an interlude, but it's still a fun little track - even if it's over before it really gets to shine.

18. Fragments (ft. Don Toliver) - 1:59

Seemingly using the previous track Pieces of You as a stepping off point, this one is foreboding and heavy hitting. That drum beat is so hefty, sitting almost at the same level as the vocals, it really overpowers, but that's by no means an issue - it seems like this was a track made to nod along to. It's massive sounding, and the vocals from Toliver in the mid section are perfectly suited, stylised and slick, adding tenfold to this track. However, It's too damn short! I love this track, and think if it was given another verse and chorus it would be an absolute knock out, but it just wasn't given enough room to really grow into something serious.

19. Horses to Water - 2:17

A piano underpins this track, that seems reminiscent of some of the earlier songs on this record, and feels familiar almost to the point of mildly repetitive - but walks the line in my head. It's simple, with almost spoken word vox drifting gently over the top. I like the lyrics, like the gentle illusion to something deeper, something underpinning the semantics. Not one I'd be racing back to relisten to, but it helps with the overall dynamics of this record, slowly bringing it down to a potentially gentler finale.

20. Strange Home - 2:50

Then you're hit over the head with the blasting intro for Strange Home. Instantly explosive, but then stripping itself back, focusing on a vibrating synth, and every now and again a slam from the bass. I know it's supposed to be toying with the beat, but the constant in and out of it in the opening actually really irritated me on the first few listens. If it's going to be in, leave it in, the constant teasing feels quite disjointed, and in my eyes really doesn't help build to the latter end of the track where the beat is underpinning it all again - which in my opinion sounds a hundred times better than the opening. It's strange in my head that this one was chosen to be placed here in the record too, especially after the last track seemed to be trailing into something a little slower.

21. Dior - 1:54

Here is the slower, gentle closer I was expecting. The strings in this song really add that emotion to the track, building this edgy soundscape. The drums feel crunchy, almost industrial, and add a nice piece of texture to the track. This is a really effective closer, fusing some of the best things about this record, the dichotomy between the lyrics and the sounds behind it - and when it blasts into that finale, picking up the pace, balancing those vocal melodies over the top, you realise this is the final coming together of the whole record, distilling down all the wonderful things about this record into one last bite sized chunk.

Overview: Piss In the Wind is, unlike it's name, by no means superfluous. It is a project that is so full of dynamic ideas and sounds, and feels like a real glimpse behind the curtain, almost a chaotic progress report filling in the gaps since last time. At it's peaks, this record plays with genre conventions, preconceived notions, and seemingly everything we expected from this album, going from insane highs and overdriven bass to emotionally laced piano ballads, all of which are tight, distilled and fit for purpose. However, it is also this outlook to some of the songs that seriously stunts them - making tracks that could have really flourished with just a few more seconds feel unfinished and clunky. Although I understand some choices creatively, others such as the teasing of the beat in Strange Home and the other worldly autotune moments on Rose Coloured are definite yellow notes, and did impact my overall experience. I was also lucky enough to go to a listening party for this album a few days before it's release, so have really given this project time to sit, and for me to listen to it and properly form my opinions. Overall, this record has some truly standout moments, and even though there were some moments I didn't understand or decisions I didn't connect with, this is still a really impressive record, with songs I will be revisiting over and over again.

Rating: 8.5/10

Highlights: Pixelated Kisses, Last of a Dying Breed, Hotel California, Past Won't Leave My Bed, Sojourn, Fragments