The thirty million monthly listeners on Spotify alone that Joji has managed to amass in just a few short years is nothing less than a staggering achievement, especially given the singer’s sparse and haphazard output. Miller only has four records to his name, and of those, it’s really only 2020’s ‘NECTAR’ that stands as a definitive lofi-R&B experience: the brief exploits that are 2018’s ‘BALLADS 1’ and 2022’s ‘SMITHEREENS’ are enjoyable, sure, but they act more like displays of potential for Joji than as career-defining highlights. Now back after his longest gap between releases yet, the singer is yet to buck the trend— ‘P*ss In The Wind’ may be pretty, but it’s consistently left us wanting more.

The record is built like an intricate vase, in that its lavish exterior disguises the emptiness within: at least on an aesthetic level, Joji continues to excel. Much of the record is quiet and subdued, placing Miller’s vocals on an isolated pedestal with only a handful of lofi elements supporting. The beat on a cut like ‘CAN’T SEE SH*T IN THE CLUB’ is comprised of nothing but stripped-back drum loops, occasional piano flourishes and winding mellotron progressions that all coalesce into a truly intoxicating arrangement. ‘P*ss In The Wind’ thrives on the part of its hazy guitar tones (as on ‘Forehead Touch the Ground’) and lonely keys lines (as on ‘Horses to Water’) that always settle in behind Joji’s solemn, pained vocals. The mixture of clarity and deliberate abrasion that defines a more straightforward song akin to ‘Last of a Dying Breed’ fits the record’s stylish cover wonderfully— Joji adapts to the despondent atmosphere of ‘Strange Home’ as well as he does the blown-out percussion on ‘PIXELATED KISSES,’ consistently pulling out mixing decisions designed to turn heads.

If anything, it feels like Miller has spent most of the past four years toying around behind the mixing desk, and only a passing moment on his songwriting: the striking production on ‘P*ss In The Wind’ doesn’t just serve this collection of tracks, but becomes a crutch the record depends on. This is not a lengthy album at only 45 minutes, yet that time is split between a whopping 21 tracks— from that statistic alone, you could probably guess that the majority of the material is greatly undeveloped. The mesmerising beat on ‘Silhouette Man,’ pleasant acoustic guitars on ‘If It Only Gets Better’ and soothing soundscape of ‘Hotel California’ are all here and accounted for, but their sub-two-minute runtimes undercuts each attempt at an emotional connection. Of the numerous cuts that made the final product, we’d struggle to label half of them as genuine ‘songs:’ ‘Forehead Touch the Ground,’ ’Fade to Black’ and ‘Cigarette’ are just a few examples of inclusions we could’ve lived without, and of tracks we’ll have forgotten before this sentence is done.

Joji’s fourth release would probably have been better served as an EP, comprising the ten-or-so strongest cuts on ‘P*ss In The Wind’— it’s hardly a surprise to see that the record’s best songs are also its most fleshed-out. Single ‘PIXELATED KISSES’ couples Miller’s pseudo-romantic croonings with a shockingly abrasive beat, kicking off the record on one of its most enthralling notes: it’s a shame that Joji rarely revisits this promising idea, only going back to it on the equally memorable ‘Sojourn.’ ‘P*ss In The Wind’ doesn’t need to be loud to captivate you, as the lush shoegaze of ‘LOVE YOU LESS’ proves. It may be the best cut on the album, featuring the sleek guitar sounds (reminiscent of Djo’s ‘End of Beginning’) and tender melodies you’d want from your Joji music— any fans who were gripped by runaway hit ‘Glimpse of Us’ should find the Father John Misty-esque piano balladry of ‘Past Won’t Leave My Bed’ similarly engaging, simple as the cut may be. With an aesthetic this likeable, even such sparse tracks as ‘DYKILY’ and ‘Horses to Water’ have their charm to them: it’s just a shame to see these ideas discarded so readily.

Miller has long been an artist full of potential, and that potential is still very much alive on ‘P*ss In The Wind’— at a certain point, though, we’ll need to see it realised in some capacity. At the height of his popularity, Joji has delivered an album built from spare parts: this is an LP built for people who skip through records, best used for TikTok sound bytes and ‘slow + reverb’ remixes. We still have faith that, somewhere down the line, the performer might harness his obvious talent to create a truly definitive listening experience. Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite happened yet.