Koyo return with their second album Barely Here, led by the new single Irreversible and a renewed focus on instinct, identity and Long Island roots.
by Paul Cashmere
Koyo have announced their sophomore album Barely Here, due out on May 8 via Pure Noise Records. The record follows extensive global touring and arrives as a concise statement of intent. Across ten tracks and twenty eight minutes, the band sharpen their blend of punk, hardcore and emo into a focused release.
The album announcement is accompanied by the release of lead single Irreversible. The track introduces the next phase of Koyo with urgency and melody. It reflects a band confident in their sound and comfortable refining it rather than reshaping it.
*Koyo’s debut album Would You Miss It? established the group as a major new voice from Long Island. Released in 2023, the record captured emotional directness and communal energy. It also sent the band into a near constant touring cycle that reshaped their creative process.
When work began on Barely Here, the band were often writing between shows. Songs were demoed on the road, sometimes from their RV. That environment encouraged decisiveness and trust in instinct. The result is an album built on clarity rather than expansion.
Vocalist Joey Chiaramonte has described the approach as intentional restraint. Rather than attempting a grand reinvention, the band concentrated on what they already do well. That philosophy runs throughout the record, from its tight runtime to its direct arrangements.
Koyo emerged from the Long Island underground in 2020, drawing from a region with a deep punk and emo lineage. That heritage remains present on Barely Here. Elements associated with The Movielife, Taking Back Sunday and Silent Majority can still be heard, filtered through Koyo’s own perspective.
The band now sound less concerned with reference points. Years of touring have solidified their internal chemistry. Guitarists Harold Griffin and TJ Rotolico lock into muscular, melodic patterns. The rhythm section of Stephen Spanos and Sal Argento drives each song with precision and urgency.
Produced, engineered and mixed by Jon Markson, the album captures that cohesion. Markson has worked closely with the band before, and his familiarity allows performances to feel immediate and unforced.
Lyrically, Barely Here reflects the dislocation that comes with sustained touring. Chiaramonte explores distance from home, fractured routines and emotional fatigue. Gratitude and frustration sit side by side throughout the album.
Opening tracks Barely Here and Jet Stream Wish establish that tension early. They balance speed and melody with reflective lyrics. Elsewhere, Saying Vs Meaning features guest vocals from Sammy Ciaramitaro and pushes urgency further.
On Oxidize, which includes Marisa Shirar, personal themes take centre stage. The song addresses family, time and responsibility, grounding the record in lived experience. Later tracks like What I’m Worth compress anger and doubt into short, intense bursts.
The album closes with Irreversible, bringing momentum and resolve together. It feels designed for collective moments, especially in live settings, without losing its emotional core.
Koyo formed in Stony Brook, New York, initially as an extension of friendships within the hardcore scene. Members had backgrounds in bands such as Typecaste, SeeYouSpaceCowboy and Hangman. Early releases like Painting Words Into Lines and Drives Out East built momentum quickly.
Signing with Pure Noise Records in 2022 marked a turning point. Since then, Koyo have toured extensively across the United States and overseas. That experience informs Barely Here, which documents a band shaped by motion but grounded in purpose.
Rather than overstating their ambitions, Koyo sound committed to longevity on their own terms. Barely Here captures a moment of alignment, where experience, restraint and confidence intersect.
Barely Here Track Listing
Barely Here
Jet Stream Wish
Saying Vs Meaning (feat. Sammy Ciaramitaro)
It Happens to the Best of Us
You Hate Me
Selden Mansions
Oxidize (feat. Marisa Shirar)
What I’m Worth
Pace and Loiter
Irreversible
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