REVIEW: Koyo - Barely Here
- Lou Viner-Flood
- 21 hours ago
- 3 min read
Having formed in the Long Island, NY underground back in 2020 KOYO cemented their identity from the jump, bending their hometown’s revered sound into something raw, urgent, and uniquely theirs, with vocals from Joseph Chiaramonte, guitars from Harold Griffin, TJ Rotolico and bassist Stephen Spanos, and drums from Salvatore Argento,. Debut release Would You Miss It? was well received by critics and listeners alike, with people loving the unique blend of emotionally bare punk, hardcore, and emo, and new album Barely Here sharpens that combination even further.
Title track Barely Here opens the album, with dial tones and a heavy drum beat. KOYO waste no time in slamming into your ears; unrelenting volume, and with clear intent. It lands like an adrenaline rush, addressing the dissatisfaction and distance of being away from the people you love, and this theme continues into Jet Stream Wish, with the melodic roar of Chiaramonte’s voice punctuating the defiance against the circumstances he is facing. Saying Vs Meaning, which features Sammy Ciaramitaro of DRAIN, is a fiery track that sees Chiaramonte delving into the feelings of isolation and misplaced shame for choosing “this kind of life”. Griffin, Rotolico and Spanos anchor the track with heavy bass and guitars that complement the vocals of Chiaramonte and Ciaramitaro perfectly.
It Happens to the Best of Us echoes early NEW FOUND GLORY, with its punchy melodicism and vocals that stay loud, forceful, and driven by intent. Highlighting KOYO’s unrivalled ability to create a punk song with hook after hook, You Hate Me is built around relationship tension, emotional fallout, and self‑blame, with Chiaramonte asking “Caught up in a contradiction/Can't you be happy with yourself?” Released as the final single before the album release, it is emotionally heavy, musically tight, and instantly memorable. Selden Mansions leans even harder into thick guitars and melodic grit, with the track ending with what sounds like the soft bing‑bong two‑tone chime you hear when you enter or leave a store.
Oxidize, a driving duet with Marisa Shirar of FLESHWATER, tackles the challenges Chiaramonte has had to deal with back home head on, with his grandmother as she deals with dementia. Lamenting “All I need is tomorrow”, the vocalist captures what we all want in life: more time with the ones we love. Shirar’s guest vocals add a softer end to the track, but the melodic heaviness is still felt. Diving into darker waters and dragging buried frustrations to the surface, What I’m Worth unfolds as a cathartic release set against brooding chord changes that nudge KOYO’s sound deeper into post‑hardcore territory. Standout lyrics like “Heaven-sent with my closest friends/In a game where no one wins in the end” make the track the darkest, most emotionally volatile of the entire album.
Pace and Loiter pulls the record back into lighter territory, landing one of the biggest choruses KOYO have ever written, with Chiaramonte’s vocals delivering a tale of saving himself from the brink of the darkness, by finding appreciation in the little moments where everything feels okay. Closing track Irreversible is a final reminder of the band's command over blistering tempos. Lyrics like “You deserve a panic attack on an Amtrak train/Going far the fuck away from me” showcase the track as one of the most scathing and confrontational tracks in KOYO’s discography and end the album with a much needed final jolt of clarity and venom.
Barely Here is an album from a clearly confident band who know exactly what they want to make and excel at making it. It’s an album that feels entirely instinctual — a tight fusion of emo melodicism and hardcore bite, every moment charged with personality and intent. It captures a band not just finding their footing, but fully claiming it. Ten tracks, 28 minutes, no excess — just a sharp, anthemic blast that nods to THE MOVIELIFE’s spark and TAKING BACK SUNDAY’s sweeping hooks, while carving out a space that belongs wholly to KOYO.
Score: 9/10
Barely Here will be released on 8th May 2026 via Pure Noise Records.
Words: Lou Viner-Flood
Photos: Matt Fevrier
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