At ACL Fest, Djo proves he’s more than a ‘Stranger Things’ heartthrob

Saturday at the Lady Bird stage, a famous actor coasted on a vanity project that’s not only gone viral — it’s stuck to the heart.

For the uninitiated, Djo made an introverted bedroom-pop song that went mega viral on TikTok: “End of Beginning.” It’s a coming-of-age instant classic about leaving town but remembering to stay true to the places that shaped you.

Djo also has 10 other songs that hundreds of passionate fans sang every word to as the sun went down. We’ll remember this dude’s big hooks 20 years from now — Killers-style.

I legit thought Djo was 21. He was on the youthful Netflix thriller “Stranger Things.” He writes romance like a literature major who has more of a comment — not really a question, when his hand goes up mid-lecture.

He’s all philosophy, but not fleshed out yet as a person. The world is his oyster all the while.

And that’s the biggest sore spot with the 33-year-old’s troubadour synth pop. The narrator is a player who seems content to bounce between situationships and break up with you via a text that ends with “lol.”

He’ll clown a muse for being basic. Then clown himself because he’s painfully self-aware.

The issue with Djo — real name Joseph Keery — in other words, is that he’s an actor. His TV fame-bolstered music platform is still being tuned on the go.

Imagine a Cars song about deleting girls off your phone. And there are Fountains of Wayne synths, but also distortion pedals to sound more brooding. And on certain songs, Djo snarls like Devo.

Or he’ll play a sullen acoustic song where he borrows Kurt Cobain’s vocal affectations circa “Nirvana Unplugged.” Then break-off the kind of ‘90s Brit pop you’d hear between “Friends” scenes.

“I just graduated top of my class — so why do I feel so bad?” Djo bemoaned, sounding like Elvis Costello howling about entering the workforce.
And he’s still learning to be a rock frontman. Like, Djo doesn’t really need to play the guitar because he has two other guitar players onstage. But he slings them over his shoulder anyway because guitars look cool while you’re holding a mic stand with two hands.

Djo whispers like Eagle Eye Cherry. He sits at the keyboard and belts piano pop that bounces along like Paul’s section of “A Day in the Life.”

So yes, as a performer, Keery’s acting instincts turn him into a chameleon. But he’s so charismatic that 88% of his moves could become karaoke standards.