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Jan 12, 2026 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Justine Nelson

Jo Passed is the project of Toronto-based indie singer/songwriter Jo Hirabayashi. Hirabayashi debuted on Sub Pop with his 2018 full-length album, Their Prime, but has been largely quiet in the previous eight years. While struggling with anxiety and burnout, Hirabayashi supported other artists as a composer, producer, and videographer, occasionally returning to his own creative output to write and rework the songs that make up his forthcoming sophomore album, Away. As Hirabayashi describes, “Away is a process record–about processing, about the process of making music, and the process of navigating one’s own psyche.”

After that grueling creative crucible, Hirabayashi returned last year with a pair of new singles, “Precious Word” and “Ico,” along with news of the new album, out on January 23rd. Today, he’s back with another new track, “Dizzy Izzy.” Along with the new song, Hirabyashi and company are also sharing a live performance of the track, premiering with Under the Radar.

“Dizzy Izzy” finds a space between mesmerizing grooves and offbeat textural experiments, building restlessly atop a magnetic rhythm section. Hirabayashi guides the track down a series of winding detours, adding in wiry guitar interludes or lilting and woozy keys, all of which shift the track in unexpected ways. Meanwhile, the accompanying live video faithfully recreates the track’s entrancing progression and fittingly dizzy art rock. The band’s off-kilter allure culminates in the track’s final moments with a blazing guitar freakout courtesy of Eren Burton.

Hirabayashi says of the track, “During the writing of Away, ‘Dizzy Izzy’ was part of the latter songs in the process. During the time, I did sporadic shows around Vancouver, mostly in a trio format with Mac Lawrie on drums and Téa Mei on bass. I started writing songs more, thinking that I might work to pursue that format further for future live Jo Passed sets. The song ended up being a processing song about losing a fourth member from the past lineup and coming to terms with going in a new direction. Eventually, though, I ended up adding more guitars and keys that now require a fourth member.”

Of the live video, Hirabayashi says, “These live videos were shot at KW Studios in Vancouver with Jessica Han (camera operation, lighting, and camera direction), Aya Garcia (camera operation), Trent Freeman (camera operation), Nick Short (audio engineering and camera operation). I edited and mixed the audio. The band for these sessions features Justin Devries (Loving) on drums, who recorded half the record, Eren Burton on guitar, who is part of my live band, and Téa Mei, who sang vocals on the record.”

Check out the song and video below. Away is out on January 23rd via Youth Riot Records.