Away marks Jo Passed‘s sophomore LP, but leaving it at that perhaps commits the injustice of suggesting Jo Hirabayashi is somehow new to the game. That’s far from the case: the Vancouver-born, Toronto-based multi-instrumentalist and producer holds a long and storied recording resume, beginning as far back as the late-2000s with the post-hardcore outfit SSRIs (later Sprïng) and culminating with the 2018 debut of Jo Passed on Their Prime.
As such, this album is not just the second offering of Hirabayashi’s solo discography, but also the homecoming of a veteran musician after an eight-year hiatus; sporting a new label, a new band, a new city — and, seemingly, a new lease on life. Established fans of Jo Passed will be happy…