George Miller, more commonly known as Joji ,was born in Osaka Japan on the 18th of September 1992. In 2020, Joji released the album Nectar, which was the second album he has released; he released an EP in 2017 as well. Joji’s first album, Ballads 1, hit #1 in the billboard 100 in the U.S. and in Australia, and he  is the first Asian person to do so. In 2018, Slow Dancing in the Dark hit platinum status. His fame was welcomed, but it was not his first time around the bend. Joji was originally a youtuber, under the name Filthy Frank. Frank, a character created by Miller, was known for his controversial skits; furthermore, he had another youtube channel called Pink Guy where he made comedic songs.

I really enjoyed this album, although it has its weak points. First off, I think it is too long. The album has 18 tracks, as it progresses, it loses depth, especially when a lot of the songs sound similar. When I first listened to this album, some of the songs blended together, so it made some songs very forgettable (“Nitrous” especially). But, don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy this album; in the beginning of the album (before it starts to lose depth), the best way I can describe it is that it makes you feel like you are floating, like the album takes you along for a ride, where you experience Joji’s emotions. For me to properly explain the best parts of this album, I have to explain what I think the best songs are within it.

The first song to take a closer look at is “Ew.” This is the first song in the album as well as one of the best songs in the album. It was a good idea to put this as the first track because it is the song that starts bringing you along for the ride. This song is about a breakup with Joji’s first lover, and him having to struggle with blaming himself for the relationship’s demise. It really showcases how someone who doesn’t have a lot of experiences in relationships can end up blaming themselves when the relationship ends.

Next up: “MODUS. “The message of this song is that he felt almost as if he was out of control, like he needed to slow it down and speed up at the same time. He talks about how stressful the music industry is, how he wants freedom in the music industry, how he was feeling like they were trying to mold him into a pop star. He emphasizes the first point by saying “I don’t feel the way they programmed me to feel today.”

Finally, we have “Run.” This song has an amazing riff at the end; it sounds dope (it also happens to be my favorite in the album). In the song, he sings about how his partner doesn’t love him anymore, how he fell for her, and even though they are supposed to share sadness, he is the only one feeling any. “Run” helps give the album more depth, it has a more upbeat sound, and rock-like parts in the song, which is quite a bit different from the slower ballads that this album has quite often.

Although Nectar has its problems, if you like more relaxed R & B songs, you will probably like Nectar. This album lacks depth in places, but in its strongest moments, it is out of this world. Nectar gets an eight out of ten.