Is Joji Just Teasing Us with 'Pixelated Kisses'?

Is Joji just teasing us with his comeback track “Pixelated Kisses?"

It's already been a week since the long-awaited comeback of the brooding Japanese-Australian alternative singer and producer George “Joji” Miller but we're still left wondering what he was trying to achieve by putting out “Pixelated Kisses,” a compelling new sonic direction that we think could have been stretched out a bit longer.

It's been a three-year drought of new material from the internet dark comedy personality -turned-indie music superstar who seems to have left the Asian-dominated 88Rising record label that he helped build into the powerhouse that it is today with the likes of Rich Brian, Niki, and Jackson Wang.

The single is his first track put out under the Virgin Music label, which caught a lot of longtime fans by surprise after being an established member of the 88Rising pool of artists. What this means for creative control? That question still remains.

“Pixelated Kisses” sees his own production that leans into grittier, glitchier, and rage-inspired music contrasting his usual slow crooning. We just wish it wasn’t so short at just one minute and 50 seconds.

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So far the song is looking like a teaser or test run for a new record that would see him having more creative control over his production and experimentation on concepts.

The loud, brash, and dirty instrumentation in this new cut is a major departure from the smooth and melodic projects from his In Tongues EP (2017), and succeeding Ballads 1 (2018), Nectar (2020), and Smithereens (2022) records.

Think of the massive melancholic pop hits "Sanctuary," "Glimpse of Us," "Slow Dancing in the Dark," and "Die For You," which skyrocketed him to superstardom for dreary melodies that resonated with millions of fans, even those who weren’t familiar with his now legendary Filthy Frank and Pink Guy comedy videos.

Joji’s new single in comparison has that stank on it, which went over well with us and other music listeners craving for something that isn’t too safe or polished from modern records that may resort to overly-sanitized slop.

While not entirely uncommon for contemporary hip-hop and R&B to incorporate noisier and more erratic production, “Pixelated Kisses” keeps Joji’s trademark somber, low, and trembling crooning.

Scouring through the annals of Reddit and armchair music reviewers, the new single received mixed reactions so far with many finding it way too short or too vastly different from his more radio friendly tracks.

We still found Joji’s comeback to be a very refreshing change of pace from his previous records and we’ve enjoyed listening to the track that runs the length of nearly two minutes a dozen times over. Long story short, we wanted a bit more of the new reinvented Joji sound to be fleshed out even just a tad bit more. But if he just wanted to tease us through the sneak peek of what’s to come after his time away, all we can do is eagerly keep our ears open for what he has cooking in the studio.