JO PASSED - AWay - YOUTH RIOT

Jo Passed–the band of Toronto-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Jo Hirabayashi–today announced his sophomore album, Away, will be released January 23rd, 2026 via Youth Riot Records. He also shared the album’s groovy and mesmerizing lead single “Ico”–dedicated to its namesake, a cherished 15-year-old Siberian long-haired cat he co-parented for five years–alongside an equally playful self-directed video. Centered around Hirabayashi’s mental health journey and recovery in between releases, the songs of Away range from existential to deeply personal. Though the album heavily plays on themes of ego death, death itself, and general loss, it’s all done with a lighthearted touch and explored via a knotty, dynamic sound that might’ve occurred if Elliott Smith had jammed with Brian Eno in the ‘70s. 

Written during the pandemic, “Ico” chronicles the simple stress-free life of the feline’s day, while subtly zeroing in on the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy and being in the moment, as well as reflections on philosopher Søren Kierkegaard’s The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air. “The lockdown era of the still-present COVID pandemic is already a kind of retro-referenced universe, and everyone seemed to write their own songs from that time. This one is mine,” Hirabayashi notes. “But more than that, this song is about my cat–her freedom in repetition, the steady rhythm of her days. Her calm, grounding presence became both a mentor and a lifesaver for me during those years, and I owe everything to her. Sadly, she’s been diagnosed with lung cancer and kidney failure. I'm hoping that I can get this record out and that song out before she passes away. Everything else on the album is this dark, dreary exploration of anxiety and human fixation, and I felt it needed something that was more positive.” 

Of the video, Hirabayashi adds “This video came together guerrilla-style in March 2024. I think it speaks both to the song and for itself: Shion Skye Carter’s dancing is incredible, Sarah Baxter’s costume design is beautiful, Aya Garcia’s camera work is sharp, and Téa Mei’s sign is the perfect finishing touch.”

The follow-up to Jo Passed’s 2018 Sub Pop debut LP Their Prime–hailed as “a brilliant and unexpected ride from start to finish” by DIY Magazine–Away showcases Hirabayashi at his creative best, and is the culmination of a long and arduous road on which he suffered burnout and anxiety as he scrapped various versions before arriving at its final state. “Away is a process record–about processing, about the process of making music, and the process of navigating one's own psyche,” he notes. What transpired over the eight years following Their Prime was a lot of time away from his creative pursuits. Hirabayashi began to focus on supporting other artists through composition, production, and videography/filmmaking. During this time, Away was written, re-written, some scrapped, some reworked, and some left to contemplate then return to later with fresh ears. There was also a year-long break where he didn’t even listen to the album. Yet despite all the challenges, Hirabayashi emerged refreshed. 

Hirabayashi leads on vocals, bass, guitar and keys, along with Mei on additional vocals, drums by Mac Lawrie and Justin Devries, strings by Meredith Bates, and woodwinds and saxophones by Andromeda Monk. The resulting Away LP is like an impasto painting, layered on thick then scraped and glazed.

“One of the biggest factors was taking space to actually find myself creatively,” says Hirabayashi. “I turned a tough time into creativity and found my way back to myself. Two years later, I've got an album I love. Taking that time was worth it, and I hope this record inspires others to be kind to themselves and patient with their own pace.”