Biography
Jo Passed craft a sound straddling dream pop, shoegaze, indie rock, and prog, setting languid melodies and blissed-out vocals against guitar lines that shift from artful constructions to raw physical force. Guitarist and songwriter Jo Hirabayashi launched the Vancouver-based outfit in 2015 as a duo recording venture alongside drummer Mac Lawrie, yielding a pair of EPs during the following year. After time spent in Montreal, the project grew into a quartet once guitarist Bella Bébé and bassist Megan-Magdalena Bourne joined the fold. Extensive touring across North America led to a contract with Sub Pop, which issued the debut full-length Their Prime in May 2018.
Self-described “freaky music weirdo” Joseph Hirabayashi had been active on Vancouver’s independent circuit since his teens, beginning with the experimental punk outfit SSRIs before moving on to the angular psych-prog group Spring. When Spring disbanded in July 2015, Hirabayashi immediately started solo work and brought in longtime friend Mac Lawrie on drums. He called the new endeavor Jo Passed—an alias already used during his time in Spring—and chose the name as a nod to jazz guitarist Joe Pass while also invoking the slang term “passed,” which his circle used to mean exhausted or spent. The project’s first release, the five-song EP Out, surfaced in January 2016; Hirabayashi handled recording and production himself, employing his own equipment across multiple locations.
Once Out was out, the musicians had already relocated to Montreal, where they temporarily expanded to a quartet to perform along the East Coast. By late 2016, following the arrival of a second EP titled Up, they returned to Vancouver. Hirabayashi then recruited multi-instrumentalist Bella Bébé, whose contributions to Up included exploratory synth and guitar parts that supplied a useful counterpart. Multimedia artist Megan-Magdalena Bourne, who had previously assisted with a video project, integrated into the lineup on bass, locking in the first stable configuration. Growing live activity and favorable coverage attracted attention from Sub Pop, leading the band to announce an international deal with the label in February 2018, while Royal Mountain took responsibility for Canadian distribution. Their Prime appeared in May 2018 from sessions cut in 2016 and 2017, with bassist Spencer Hargreaves and drummer Daniel Ruiz handling the bulk of the performances.
Self-described “freaky music weirdo” Joseph Hirabayashi had been active on Vancouver’s independent circuit since his teens, beginning with the experimental punk outfit SSRIs before moving on to the angular psych-prog group Spring. When Spring disbanded in July 2015, Hirabayashi immediately started solo work and brought in longtime friend Mac Lawrie on drums. He called the new endeavor Jo Passed—an alias already used during his time in Spring—and chose the name as a nod to jazz guitarist Joe Pass while also invoking the slang term “passed,” which his circle used to mean exhausted or spent. The project’s first release, the five-song EP Out, surfaced in January 2016; Hirabayashi handled recording and production himself, employing his own equipment across multiple locations.
Once Out was out, the musicians had already relocated to Montreal, where they temporarily expanded to a quartet to perform along the East Coast. By late 2016, following the arrival of a second EP titled Up, they returned to Vancouver. Hirabayashi then recruited multi-instrumentalist Bella Bébé, whose contributions to Up included exploratory synth and guitar parts that supplied a useful counterpart. Multimedia artist Megan-Magdalena Bourne, who had previously assisted with a video project, integrated into the lineup on bass, locking in the first stable configuration. Growing live activity and favorable coverage attracted attention from Sub Pop, leading the band to announce an international deal with the label in February 2018, while Royal Mountain took responsibility for Canadian distribution. Their Prime appeared in May 2018 from sessions cut in 2016 and 2017, with bassist Spencer Hargreaves and drummer Daniel Ruiz handling the bulk of the performances.
Albums
Singles
