jo passed springs back: ‘Weekend’ single + Pacific Northwest tour

Spring has sprung, and jo passed is ready to bloom again—this time with their brand-new single Weekend and a whirlwind Spring tour through the Pacific Northwest.

Weekend is finally out, and it’s a wild ride through the undead, nostalgia, and that never‑ending loop of endings turning into beginnings. Exclaim! calls it “a fresh start after many years of personal and artistic growth, and a hint of what jo passed has in store.”

If you’re in Vancouver, Seattle or Portland, catch jo passed live later this month.

Tour Dates

5/8/2025 Thursday – Vancouver, Green Auto
5/9/2025 Friday – Seattle, Clock Out
5/10/2025 Saturday – Portland, High Water Mark
5/16/2025 Friday – Los Angeles, Permanent Records Roadhouse
5/17/2025 Saturday – San Diego, Kensington Club
5/20/2025 Tuesday – Oakland, Stork Club

Here’s the backstory on Weekend: it’s both the newest and the oldest jo passed song. Originally written and recorded in a lightning‑fast 15 minutes at the tail end of a 2014 session (when the mics were still up), it then drifted in limbo for years—tossed on an EP, cut from the debut album, earmarked for the follow‑up LP, and pulled at the last second.

Jo Hirabayashi (平林) explains: “I started jo passed during a period of literal and figurative vagrancy. The name is a nod to a jazz musician and my insomnia—writing was how I channeled the energy that kept me awake. Living out of a backpack, I embraced a minimalist DIY recording style and toured nonstop between Montreal and Vancouver.”

With jo passed’s debut album  ‘Their Prime’ on Sub Pop, themes of home and placelessness under late‑stage capitalism took center stage. But what felt like a dream quickly turned into burnout. “Everything fell apart,” Jo admits. After therapy, they shelved a follow‑up LP, quit Music™, and threw themselves into helping friends with their albums and videos—essentially taking their own “weekend.”

Now, Weekend is reborn as a cozy 90s‑tinged anthem about the undead, nostalgia, and the endless cycle of starts and stops. Think of it as a “throwaway banger” from Sub Pop’s biggest underdog, marking the close of one chapter and the hopeful dawn of the next.

To celebrate, jo passed is hitting the road for a short Spring jaunt in their favorite stomping grounds, joined by Jo’s siblings Cameron Gates and Téa Mei. Grab your tickets, bring your friends, and let’s make this Spring unforgettable.