Mark Stefanos
LA’s indie pop darlings Massage dropped their new LP today, Coaster, a deeply satisfying return from a band whose strength has always been in its small, loving gestures. After a four-year break, the quintet — made up of Alex Naidus (vocals, guitar), Andrew Romano (vocals, guitar), Gabi Ferrer (vocals, keyboards), David Rager (bass) and Natalie de Almeida (drums) — deliver ten songs that feel both lived-in and sunny. It’s their most assured work yet. Coaster’s record release show is 9 p.m. tonight, Oct. 9, at Permanent Records Roadhouse.
The LP channels the seismic personal shifts that have reshaped the band since 2021’s Still Life: LA’s devastating January fires, a serious cancer scare, a wedding and a couple babies. The messiness of entering a new phase in life informs the record but it’s never overbearing or too on the nose, with the experiences woven into a broader meditation on growing up. The result is a sound that blends ’80s indie romance with modern dreaminess that feels both nostalgic and urgently alive.
Coaster shines in its richly textured arrangements — guitars jangle, keyboards hover, the rhythm pulses enough to keep everything from drifting, leaving space for the emotional weight carried by the lyrics to land.
Opening track “No North Star” bangs then soothes, kindling a lost-at-sea haze. The snares and hooks in the lead single that follows, “Daffy Duck,” balance sweetness with weighted lyrics that make it an immediate earworm. Romano says it’s “the closest we’ll ever get to writing a ‘banger,’ but it’s a very us kind of banger — you don’t know whether to dance or cry.” We’re happy just banging.
Rager stitched the music video for it together from astronomical footage shot in 1928:
Throughout Coaster, the band’s collaborative spark shines. Three writers and singers weave influences from The Cure to Oasis, creating “sonic worlds” that swing from vaporous keys to metallic riffs without losing their tender core. “Fading Out” shows this off, rocking out while keeping a sense of emotional fragility. On the other end, the quieter “Hang On to that Feeling” or the closing “After All” maintain a cathartic breathing room, but with enough beat to keep heads nodding and hips swaying.
Coaster brings together what Massage has always done well: melodic instincts, emotional honesty and an ear for texture, and refines it with the perspective that comes in your thirties and forties. It asks for repeat listens and opens a path for more to tackle, a silver lining to life’s great guarantee.
They note that their show tonight is the only one they have lined up right now: “Life has lately made playing live very challenging — David is still displaced by the Eaton Fire; Alex and Nat and Gabi have babies that need tending — but on Oct. 9 the planets will align for a few hours in Cypress Park and some wistful jangle will ensue.” We can’t think of a better way to spend your Thursday night.