Jo Hirabayashi–the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer behind Canada’s Jo Passed–is very much alive, even though his sophomore album, Away, took eight years to come out. You can’t, or shouldn’t, rush a good thing, and this collection of 11 layered indie rockers is as honest and real as it gets. With his 2018 debut LP Their Prime (Sub Pop) long behind him, 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.