Daiana Feuer on June 8th, 2018

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“Sometimes a song tells you what it wants to be,” says Andrew Romano of Massage, a five-piece band where he shares guitar and vocal duties with Alex Naidus, formerly of Pains of Being Pure at Heart, alongside drummer Michael Felix, bassist David Rager and keyboardist/vocalist Gabrielle Ferrer. Romano is referring to the backstory for “Oh Boy,” title track from the band’s debut LP —  recorded with Jason Quever of Papercuts — being released July 27 by Tear Jerk Records. The gentle, jangling guitar pop of “Oh Boy” serves lyrics describing the moment right after putting his child to sleep at night and, in the morning, the light and flies in the room after feeding the baby. The song itself began at the end. “The last lines of the song were dummy lyrics that stuck,” explains Romano. “I realized what they were about — how honest they were about things I hadn’t even realized I was feeling; about family and fatherhood and settling down and ambition — and the rest of the words were written in response.”

As for influences, Massage goes for Australian bands. Romano says he was listening to “16 Lovers Lane” by Go-Betweens a lot while writing “Oh Boy,” which comes through in the imagery and strumming style. As a band, they like the “new generation” of Aussie acts like Boomgates, Dick Diver and Twerps. “They’re mostly white guys playing guitar rock — but somehow finding a sweet spot that Americans, who tend toward the muscular and melodramatic, always seem to miss: messier and more casual, but also catchier somehow.”

In their bio, the band also mentions they like eating French fries smothered in gravy together, particularly at Jay’s Bar.

||| Stream: “Oh Boy”

||| Also: “Lydia”