by Louis Pelingen (@Ruke256)
Creative burnout has been a much more common experience for artists in the past couple of years, especially when diminishing economic and health factors come into play. The need to bounce back from an artist’s fluctuating well-being and sustainability now becomes immediately prioritized, setting aside the process of creating music, and doing more outside of their usual comfort zones to settle into a better state of mind. It might take a while for the artist to return to their musical project, but when they do, they find themselves and the music they create become reignited and reinformed.
After the release of his debut album in 2018, Jo Passed (aka Jo Hirabayashi) spent a couple of years recovering from burnout - creative and otherwise - that made him put his music project on the wayside. Eventually focusing more on recovering past struggles while putting his creative skillsets outside of his solo project. All of that gradual process of healing has now been a major part of Jo Passed’s newest output, Away, a record that unspools all of what he has gone through for the past eight years.
Such unspooling becomes a way for Jo Hirabayashi to eventually grapple with past experiences. Thinking too much and going through listless moments is one thing, but friendship fallouts, social anxiety, and presence of looming death definitely punches Hirabayashi in the gut, leaving the songwriter trapped. However, on the closing track, “Mother Night,” he eventually realizes that there is something close to escape. “Hiding out in plain sight / Hoping for a rebirth / All that lies comes forward” becomes the closing statement amidst all of the darker musings that Hirabayashi wades through. Despite feeling stuck in place, that speck of hope is something that he clung to. Anything to get out of that overwhelming space.
That anxious, paralyzed stasis reflects how Jo Passed stirs compositions and production. Slippery melodies and instrumental embellishments not only resonate with his emotional throughlines, but direct his compositions in a playfully compelling manner. “Precious Word” and “Alright” carry frantic grooves that pair well with jumpy vocal lines and instrumental layers, especially with the guitars and synths galloping to-and-fro.
It’s worth noting how the presence of other musicians becomes an important factor in how Hirabayashi constructs his music. Téa Mei’s blissful harmonies create a peaceful contrast against the sudden distorted warbles and guitar solos of “Ico,” as well as the stuttering percussion and modulating waves of guitar flutters on “Away.” Mac Lawrie and Justin Devrie’s drum playing drives the stumbling buildups of “brb” and the churning contrast against dissonant piano chords on “Away.” Meredith Bate’s swiveling violin amplifies the clammy overthinking of “Too Much Thought.” Andromeda Monk’s saxophone and clarinet add a dynamic burst of energy on the unfurling melodies of “339,” and add some warm weight upon the lilting cadence of “Mother Night” with its glossy keys, feathery acoustic strums, moving string swells, and Jo Passed’s brighter vocal timbre.
Simply put, Away is Jo Hirabayashi’s reflection and confrontation record. With the help of collaborators, Jo Passed wades through some of his darkest years with exuberant textures and distinctly tuneful compositions. Hirabayashi may have been away for a couple of years, but now that he’s back, Jo Passed is more exhilarated than ever before.