Growth Spurt: How Dijon’s Baby Grew on Me

Dijon’s stunning debut, Absolutely (2021), is my favorite album. Watching him at Re:Set Festival in 2023, he hypnotized me with the raw emotion and care with which he performed  each song, lyric, and moment. This past year, I became infatuated with this album, playing it front-to-back every chance I got. Naturally, Dijon’s sophomore release was my most anticipated of 2025. When it suddenly dropped with minimal promo, I was glued to my headphones, ready to take in every second of his second coming. Surprisingly, I was not instantly hooked. I expected the themes and sonic cohesiveness of Absolutely, but Baby  is not a mere reiteration of what Dijon's done before. It’s an evolution— incorporating new samples, instruments, and ideas at every turn. Baby is a continuation and evolution of Dijon’s style, songwriting, and production from his debut album, calling on listeners to grow alongside it.

The final song on Absolutely, (aptly titled “End of Record) fades out with a soft guitar riff, harmonies repeating the refrain “dancing like I’ve known you forever, / I don’t know you that well but whatever, / I want you forever.” Baby picks up right where Absolutely left off, starting with the lyric “Yes, I did dance with your mother before I knew her name.” Immediately, the opener “Baby!” builds on the soundscapes of its predecessor, pairing lullaby-esque guitar melodies with a semi-harsh drum beat and glitchy production, mixing styles and sounds as opposed to the focused soundscapes of his debut. This heartfelt address to his child, Baby, explaining how Dijon met his mother and the story of Baby’s birth, is followed by “Another Baby!” a sensual, more aggressively-produced ode to his wife, slyly calling her to “expand this collection” by having another child. 

Image Credits: Spotify

Speeding past an introduction of upbeat yet relaxed R&B tracks, Baby keeps its momentum with a three-track run of uplifting pop anthems. “HIGHER!” cheerfully recounts the bliss Dijon has found in his marriage through the jubilant repetition of its titular refrain. The off-kilter piano, continuously stacked vocals, and steady drum beat create a triumphant instrumental as the amount of vocal layers increases each refrain, uplifting listeners to the heights he’s reached. “Yamaha” is rightfully the album’s biggest hit: a perfect, triumphant love song showcasing Dijon’s masterful production, sincere songwriting, and pop sensibilities. Momentum builds with each passing second, speeding towards the chorus’ grand release as Dijon elatedly sings “baby, I’m in love with this particular emotion!” Here, the emotional evolution between the two albums is revealed: while Absolutely had moments of intense sincerity, it was plagued with heartbreak and longing for his now wife, Joanie Del Santo (lovingly referred to as Joanna, Annie, Joanne, and more across his discography). If Absolutely showcased love at its most desperate and unrequited, Baby is a celebration of love now found. This is made clear in the album cover, featuring a photo from Dijon’s wedding of him crowd surfing among his friends. While his unrequited love for Joanna angered and weighed on him in Absolutely, in Baby, Dijon embraces the love the pair has found in one another.

This is not to say that Baby lacks moments of despair and confusion; the album’s latter half is tender and vulnerable, with Dijon contemplating his new roles as both a father and a husband. The soft, contemplative track “Rewind” begins with a blaring, dissonant siren and soft guitar as Dijon sings that “there’s a lot riding on this lot,” as he’s brought face-to-face with the enormous stakes of starting a family. Dijon fears passing on his own problems, begging to “rewind” in a desperate plea to better prepare himself for life’s impending changes. With worn-out vocals, Dijon explores his flawed relationship with his father on “my man,” a relationship he understands more deeply since having children himself. While the beat remains quiet, the vocals become more and more aggressive, going from a soft croon to anguished yells as the refrain shifts from “how can I leave?” to “I can’t leave.” As Dijon becomes more emotional, he makes up his mind, deciding to mend his relationship with his father in his old age. The deep bass and faint vocal harmonies on “loyal & marie” showcase the feelings of inadequacy he carries in his marriage. While he praises “Marie,” asking “how come it’s so easy” for her, he resents himself and fears she will feel the same, repeating “every red light home I think about if she needs me / every red light home I think about if she’ll leave me.” Although Dijon has found purpose in his family, he still carries doubts despite his love, giving Baby its emotional core throughout its celebratory love songs.

The album ends with the track “Automatic,” a soaring pop song where Dijon accepts his doubts, and becomes willing to accept the love he’s given, even if he cannot understand it. Elevating synths and an invigorating drum beat (sampled from a freestyle by GZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard) return the album to a celebration of love, one that now recognizes his doubts and struggles as necessary aspects of a relationship. In the closing track “Kindalove,” Dijon reflects on this lesson learned, appreciating and thanking his wife for her support. As the album fades away, Dijon pleads to her, asking her to “take all I have / shock me with your love.”

Dijon’s Baby is exceptional. Although sonically different from his previous work, Baby beautifully represents a transitional period in Dijon’s life through pure passion instead of perfection—a musical and emotional journey that I, too, learned to accept.

Rating: INDY

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Maxine Messina is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, planning on studying psychology and music. She is a singer-songwriter, obsessive TV watcher, and Nintendo enthusiast. Controversial opinions include: preferring Apple Music to Spotify, Apple Maps to Google, and Dunkin’ to Starbucks.