One of our favorite albums in 2021 was Still Life by L.A. band Massage. That jangling, dream-gazing, guitar-dense album remains a favorite and we still play it regularly. However, we need to make some room in our soundtrack because we have a new Massage gem demanding out ears. The new 10-track Coaster builds on the delights of its predecessor, retaining the instant classic pop melodies, multi-voiced vocals and lovely layers of guitars. To that foundation, in our opinion, Massage has added a wider sound palette. While still delivering their perfectly crafted blends of guitar pop and shoegaze -- check out the exquisite "We're Existential" below -- the band offers echoes of Creation Records on "Fading Out" and folk rock that will prompt fans of The Go--Betweens smile on "Hang On to that Feeling". "Psychic" starts out as a clap-along guitar pop and finishes as a slice of countryfied southern rock on "Psychic". Every song here is a star and that adds up to a top 10 2025 album for us.
Massage are Alex Naidus (vocals/guitar), Andrew Romano (vocals/guitar), Gabrielle Ferrer (vocal/keys), David Rager (bass), and Natalie de Almeida (drums). Coaster is out now via Bobo Integral Records and Mt.St.Mtn. Records.
Please don't be alarmed as we tell you that on October 31 the Bombs will drop. These Bombs aren't the scary, deadly exploding type -- they are the exciting The Belair Lip Bombs. The Melbourne quartet caught our attention a four years ago via their cool name referencing a '70s brand of skateboard wheels and a noteworthy single. While their 2023 debut LP Lush Life proved that they were a band to watch, we think that the upcoming Again promises to be even better. But you can judge for yourself by listening to the three singles from the album.
The Belair Lip Bombs are Maisie Everett, Mike Bradvica, Jimmy Droughton, and Daniel "Dev" Devlin. Again will be released via Third Man Records. The band also will be touring Europe and the US. The dates and venues are listed at the end of this post.
The Belair Lip Bombs Tour Dates (New Dates in Bold) Sat. Nov. 8 - Copenhagen, DK @ Ideal Bar Mon. Nov. 10 - Berlin, DE @ Maschinehaus Tue. Nov. 11 - Utrecht, NL @ Ekko Wed. Nov. 12 - Ghent, BE @ Charlatan Thu. Nov. 13 - Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere Mon. Nov. 17 - San Sebastian, ES @ Dabadaba Tue. Nov. 18 - Madrid, ES @ El Sótano Wed. Nov. 19 - Barcelona, ES @ Laut Fri. Nov. 21 - Bordeaux, FR @ Rock School Barbey Mon. Nov. 24 - Brighton, UK @ Volks Tue. Nov. 25 - Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach Wed. Nov. 26 - Bristol, UK @ Exchange Fri. Nov. 28 - London, UK @ Scala Sat. Nov. 29 - Manchester, UK @ YES Sun. Nov. 30 - Glasgow, UK @ Stereo Mon. Dec. 1 - Dublin, IE @ The Grand Social Sat. Feb. 7 - Kombumerri Jagun Land / Gold Coast, AU @ Laneway Festival Sun. Feb. 8 - Gadigal & Bidjigal Land / Sydney @ Laneway Festival Fri. Feb. 13- Wurundjeri Biik Land / Melbourne @ Laneway Festival Tue. Mar. 24 - San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar $ Thu. Mar. 26 - Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall $ Fri. Mar. 27 - Seattle, WA @ Baba Yaga $ Mon. Mar. 30 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court $ Tue. Mar. 31 - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive $ Thu. Apr. 2 - Lawrence, KS / Kansas City, MO @ White School House $ Fri. Apr. 3 - Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club $ Sat. Apr. 4 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle $ Mon. Apr. 6 - Toronto, ON @ The Garrison $ Thu. Apr. 9 - New York, NY @ Night Club 101 $ Fri. Apr. 10 - New York, NY @ Baby's All Right $ Sat. Apr. 11 - Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA $ Sun. Apr. 12 - Washington, DC @ Songbyrd $ Mon. Apr. 13 - Raleigh, NC @ Kings $ Wed. Apr.15 - Nashville, TN @ Blue Room at Third Man Records $ Thu. Apr. 16 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl $ Sat. Apr. 18 - Dallas, TX @ Sons of Hermann Hall $ Sun. Apr. 19 - Austin, TX @ 29th Street Ballroom $ Wed. Apr. 22 - Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge $ Thu. Apr. 23 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah $ Fri. Apr. 24 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon $
