Say Hello to Jay Joseph’s Imaginary Friends

By Phil Hawkins

If you’re a fan of Twenty-One Pilots or happened to see them on tour last fall then Jay Joseph is a name that you are probably already familiar with. However, if not, he is someone that you should definitely be checking out. Somehow, despite being at the same festival he was playing last month, I myself had not taken the time to check him out and have done myself a huge disservice.

Imaginary Friends was actually released on May 27th, but seemed to slip under the radar for a lot of people. Had I taken the time sooner to check this out a couple of things would be much different. First, I would have made sure I caught his set at AudioFeed. Second, this would have made the cut for my top releases of the 2nd quarter of 2022. This may all seem like hype to some, but trust me it is well deserved.

The album opens with “Jay Is Dead” which carries a strong similarity to something you might expect to hear on a Twenty-One Pilots album from a musical standpoint. However, the vocal delivery tends to carry more of a hip-hop vibe and serves as a solid opener. “Maybe” follows and carries more of that 21p vibe, but includes it vocally as well this time around. It’s important to note that the 21p vibe may be obvious as Jay’s brother is Tyler from 21p and they obviously have similar musical influences in their lives.

“Bones” carries more of the big musical aesthetic and is a solid track with a bit of a toned down tempo in comparison to the first two tracks on the album. “Comfortable” feels like it could easily be included on current top 40 radio as it feels very “pop accessible” without being an overproduced generic track that would easily get lost.

“Blackout City” stands out as the most musically diverse track as it pulls in various instruments giving the track multiple layers to peel away upon each subsequent listen. Plus, it has a really catchy chorus. “Haunt Me” is another track that carries a stronger hip-hop vibe vocally, but is sure to get stuck in your head for hours after hearing it. However, that is not to be taken as a negative as it’s quite catchy and has a solid beat.

The album rounds out with “Reaper” which is another rather mellow track in comparison to majority of the rest of the album. It’s rather unique though, but sadly gets kind of lost this late in the album. “Let Go” closes out the album and does so in grand fashion. It’s upbeat and energetic and almost reminds of “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd as it carries a similar musical aesthetic. It’s such a solid track that putting it as the album closer almost does it a disservice, but for those that give the complete album a full run it will be the proverbial cherry on top capping a remarkable piece of work.

Imaginary Friends is a solid piece of work and is sure to get the attention of a lot of people going forward with the potential to make Jay Joseph a household name.

Imaginary Friends is available on all major streaming platforms.