By Dylan Thatcher, Features Editor

[AWAL; 2025]

Rating: 2/10

Maybe Joe Keery is basic? Or maybe it’s just shallow songwriting when you accuse the populous of being “basic” for succumbing to the immense pressure of societal norms. Look, I get the point of this song is to make you feel bad for using your phone and having an Instagram account. It just gets a little irritating when it sounds like there’s an LCD Soundsystem tribute band in the background as well. This might as well be Keery’s attempt at getting a Djo song on the Stranger Things soundtrack. 

Read more: Single Review: Lucy Dacus – Ankles

“Basic Being Basic” comes off as a parody of Kerry’s previous Djo work. This latest release has a similar sound to “Gloom,” a song off Djo’s 2022 album DECIDE. The difference between the two is that “Gloom” doesn’t sound cheap and commercial, it has that indie edge that fans of Djo have come to love. Keery gets the benefit of the doubt with this one because of how original and bold his body of work has been thus far. 

In all seriousness, I do agree with Keery’s message, which is that we should all eat our food and enjoy it instead of posting pictures of it. The problem with this song is that it seems conceited in the way the message is delivered. Considering the subject matter, conceit is likely a common pitfall.

Djo is set to release its next album, The Crux, in early april. Let us pray that this single is not a sign of what’s to come.

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