Single Review: Joji - Sanctuary

On the heels of his debut album Ballads 1, Joji has released his latest single, titled “Sanctuary” off 88rising Records. This follows the success of the aforementioned album, which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200; an impressive jump over the performance of his debut extended play, In Tongues, at number 58. Released on June 14^th, this track is accompanied by a music video with a grandiose, Star Trek theme, and has already reached 30 million views.

“Sanctuary” has a more easygoing, positive tone than some of the dreary, depressive overtones of other tracks in the Joji backlog of music. Where songs like “Will He” lament over what could have been, “Sanctuary” ponders what could be. The verse’s lyrics concoct a mood of hopefulness and comfortability (“I’m your one call away”; “When night falls, I am your escape”), and the chorus confirms the safety of a potential relationship.

This change in tone for George Miller is not entirely new. Ballads 1 is a mixed bag on the emotional spectrum, where some songs are cheerful and others are bleak. However, this level of happiness is rarely seen from the artist. The majority of Joji’s catalog paints a picture of misery, while “Sanctuary” is something out of left field. This prompted the Internet’s busiest music nerd, Anthony Fantano, to question, “Has Joji lost his edge?” in one of his “Let’s Argue” opinion videos on YouTube.

Whether one believes Joji has an “edge” or not is playing into semantics. “Sanctuary” is far from a stylistic change, as it retains the catchy choruses and emotionally-charged lyrics that his fans are accustomed to, but more of a maturing of sound. The production on the new song is immaculate, which has been a point of contention in Joji’s past. Ballads 1 saw several producers helm different tracks, from the eclectic Clams Casino on “Can’t Get Over You”, to both Shlohmo and D33J on “Why Am I Still in LA”.

The self-produced songs on this record utilize questionable choices, such as heavy bass in the somber “Attention”, and I’ll See You in 40’s muddiness and clashing styles. “Sanctuary”, produced by Justin Raisen and Aaromie, makes stellar use of volume, instrumental mixing, and percussion to establish a soft, calming mood to the song. Hopefully, in the future, Joji will continue to make use of these producers, as their work on this track is stellar.

“Sanctuary” lasts for three minutes even, with a few dozen seconds dedicated to the fading outro. The short length of the song makes it binge-worthy, as I saw myself put the song on repeat without a second look. Compared to an early song from Joji that would be full of angst and lack structure, “Sanctuary” is fully-realized and benefits from tight production. Experimenting with poetic undertones has paid off, as a cohesive story is created and the listener can connect with the theme of the track. Ultimately, Joji’s “Sanctuary” is a fantastic summer love song, and a great addition to the progression of George Miller’s musical ventures. If Filthy Frank can write a great love song, what else can we expect from the music world?