Release Date: 6 February 2026
Song Count: 21
Duration: 45 minutes, 58 seconds
Rating: 7.0/10
Description:
Likely the last album emerging from the grand tide of last Friday for now, not long after writing the first review or two out of these new releases, I discovered that George Kusunoki Miller, the edgy and humoured upon internet personality turned heartfelt musician and renowned artist Joji, had released his fourth album on the particular day as well, titled Piss In The Wind. His music has been described as a subtle mixture of slower pop, lo-fi and R&B, and the general tristant and moody atmosphere of his work has caught him major recognition in the music scene, especially when his most well-known single, "Glimpse Of Us", exploded in popularity. Fun fact: in spite of being aware that the person once known as Filthy Frank online had stepped away from the persona he had been known for to chase a more serious pursuit, the realisation that said person was the same who made "Glimpse Of Us" did not hit me until years after the fact - fascinating how one can turn their reputation around to the point of near unrecognition so thoroughly simply by taking the right steps for it.
As for this particular record, the tracks bounce between plenty of wildly differing styles and genres, from slow piano ballads similar to what got Joji popular, such as "Past Won't Leave My Bed", to more hyper, brash and electronically produced songs that nevertheless keep a sanded out edge to them stylistic of the artist, like "DYKILY", "Last of a Dying Breed" and "Sojourn", back to slower lo-fi tracks practically destined to be played at a tranquil drive outside in the middle of the night, like "Hotel California", to guitar-heavy alternative pop songs such as "LOVE YOU LESS", and the list expands. The only two things every song in the record has in common here are a general melancholy ambience radiating through regardless of which genre or medium is being used to convey the emotion, and a generally short duration, with no song reaching a length of three minutes or more bar for the latter. The record, as a result, feels like a scattered yet still devoted collection of different ideas collected over time that cumulate into an emotional and reflective musical whirlwind.
In spite of having a grand amount of 21 tracks to serve, Piss In The Wind clocks in solely at just under 46 minutes in length in total, and this reflects partially on some of the shorter tracks in a less-than-ideal manner. However, even with some songs seeming like they introduce a great concept or element for a full-length track only to let it go sooner than what one may wish for, the tracks that do have everything together primarily balance out this weakness, leading to an overall still decently enjoyable listen. It is just the right playlist for wanting to get into some low-energy territory, whether it be delving into sadness or into serenity, and it manages to keep interest through its frequent switch-ups and creativity. Perhaps with some additional patching to do on the lesser developed aspects can lead this record from being "good" to becoming something truly special, but for now, a passing mark of decency will more than do the trick, especially when considering the strongest parts of its musical offers.