Album Reviews
Back in 2023, Koyo delivered the pleasant surprise that was Would You Miss It?. Determined to top themselves, they return with Barely Here, a lean blast of fiery pop-punk packed with emo hooks and hardcore intensity that never outstays its welcome. Across ten songs and just 28 minutes, the band wastes no time making its mark.
If you’re struggling to picture a mix of The Movielife, Taking Back Sunday, and Silent Majority, just turn this up at full volume and the picture will quickly come into focus. Barely Here feels like a sharpened, more refined version of everything that made Would You Miss It? so compelling.
At three and a half minutes, “Selden Mansions” is the album’s longest track, using that extra space to stretch into something more atmospheric. The rest of the record is stripped down to expose the sinewy muscle beneath, with every song hitting hard without ever feeling incomplete.
Produced, engineered, and mixed by longtime collaborator Jon Markson (Drug Church, Drain, and The Story So Far), and featuring guest appearances from Drain’s Sammy Ciaramitaro (“Saying vs Meaning”) and Fleshwater’s Marisa Shirar (“Oxidize”), Barely Here is the sound of a band operating with total confidence and proving they’re anything but barely here.
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
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
