How did Joe Keery pay homage to his Stranger Things costar Charlie Heaton through his new album

Stranger Things didn’t just introduce us to alternate dimensions, monsters, and a killer '80s aesthetic, it also gave rise to real-life friendships that, years later, are still blooming in unexpected ways. One of those connections is between Joe Keery, our beloved reformed bad boy Steve Harrington, and Charlie Heaton, the quiet, brooding Jonathan Byers. And now, in 2025, that friendship has found its way into Joe’s latest musical project through a heartfelt track on his new album The Crux.

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Backyards, pianos, and quiet moments in between

While filming the final season of Stranger Things in Atlanta, Joe and Charlie ended up living in houses with adjoining backyards. Between long days on set, Joe would often look out and see Charlie just... living life. Tending to his garden, cleaning up, fixing things. It wasn’t dramatic, it was real. Peaceful. And somehow, that simplicity struck a chord.

That moment, quite literally, became music. Joe sat down at the piano in Charlie and Natalia Dyer’s house, yes, Nancy from the show, and started writing what would become Charlie’s Garden. It’s one of those songs that feels like a memory you didn’t know you had, calm, warm, filled with quiet admiration. Charlie even makes a cameo in the track, leaving a voicemail in a thick American accent, just to add that final, personal touch. It’s not just a song, it’s a love letter to friendship, time, and the strange beauty of everyday things.

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A personal album, start to finish

The Crux is Joe Keery’s third full-length album under his musical alias Djo, and it feels like his most intimate work yet. If his earlier releases, Twenty Twenty (2019) and Decide (2022), played with character and concept, The Crux strips that back. This time, it’s personal. Produced alongside longtime collaborator Adam Thein at Electric Lady Studios in New York, the album is full of honest lyrics, analog textures, and that dreamy, retro energy that’s become Keery’s signature.

And while Charlie’s Garden might be the emotional center of the record, it’s just one piece of a bigger puzzle. Joe explores love, loneliness, confusion, and growth, all with a mix of humor, melancholy, and sonic experimentation that feels uniquely his.

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Songs that stick with you

The album opens with Lonesome Is a State of Mind, a track that sets the tone with soft reflection and emotional weight. From there, it flows into Basic Being Basic, a playful, falsetto-heavy jab at surface-level relationships. Potion is pure groove, full of Fleetwood Mac vibes and synthy nostalgia. Meanwhile, Delete Ya leans into regret and Egg plays like a late-night spiral of thoughts.

Here’s the full tracklist:

1. Lonesome Is a State of Mind
2. Basic Being Basic
3. Link
4. Potion
5. Delete Ya
6. Egg
7. Fly
8. Charlie’s Garden
9. Gap Tooth Smile
10. Golden Line
11. Back on You
12. Crux

Each song feels like a chapter, snapshots of life, relationships, and the emotional in-betweens that often go unspoken.

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From psych rock roots to indie stardom

Before he was melting hearts as Steve Harrington or releasing dreamy synth-pop as Djo, Joe Keery was part of Chicago’s psych-rock band Post Animal. He played guitar and sang on their 2018 debut, When I Think of You in a Castle, before stepping back to focus on acting. But music never left his system, it just evolved.

And as for Charlie Heaton, long before Hawkins, Indiana, he was part of the London-based band Half Loon. His connection to music runs deep too, which probably explains how the bond between him and Keery turned into something worth writing about. They may have met through a supernatural Netflix series, but their friendship is grounded in something way more human, shared passions, quiet moments, and time spent together when no one’s watching.

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The critics are listening

The Crux has already earned praise from critics who’ve followed Keery’s evolution. The Financial Times applauded his shift toward more accessible pop-rock melodies without losing the emotional weight. Meanwhile, DIY Magazine called the record joyful and sincere, noting its warm analog production and delightfully retro feel.

But beyond the reviews, it’s the vulnerability that makes this album resonate. Keery doesn’t hide behind characters here, he shows up fully as himself, with all the messiness and clarity that come with that.

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A song that says more than words can

Charlie’s Garden isn’t just a standout track on The Crux, it’s a quiet tribute that says a lot without being loud. In a world where friendships are often documented through selfies and captions, Joe Keery did something rarer, he turned a friendship into music. No filters. Just chords, memories, and a voicemail.

In the end, The Crux isn’t just a collection of songs, it’s a story. One of growth, connection, and how the smallest moments can leave the biggest marks. Whether in the Upside Down or sitting at a piano in a quiet Atlanta backyard, Joe Keery reminds us that the best stories, and the best songs, come from real places, shared lives, and people who truly matter.