I was on my couch perusing one of the million streaming options probably on a Saturday, as one does, when my phone pinged with an Instagram message. I open said message and it is a gentleman from what I have come to understand is creatively a duo, however they are a band as well. This gentleman was Heath Holley from the group Massing. Based out of West Virginia. They, a few months ago, dropped a six-song EP called Nothin’ to Fear. The other half of the duo is Robb Coleman who handles the mixing and mastering. Robb and Heath split the songwriting and vocals. And as Heath and I had a little back and forth with our conversation I took a listen.
The opening track “Life Rocks” I perceived from the lyrics was a song ironically about the beginning of something, anything. Maybe a relationship or maybe just simply anything. Also, I feel like having a trumpet opening a song up is unfair, in a good way. As you can’t go wrong with a trumpet opener. Upon my first listen through the six songs though I was like man this rocks. It’s loud, it crashes, the bass is dirty on the song “Flattery,” and as a sometime bass player I enjoyed that. Then I found myself getting lost in the sonics. So much so that the lyrics were like bubbles I was trying to catch. As the music played, I felt like I was chasing the vocals. This is not a bad thing. This was me simply getting lost in the music and lyrics.
Delving into the lyrics I was finding depth to the lyricism. The songs go through waves of relationships and living life. Getting older, and being sometimes sarcastic, and honest. A line like, “don’t burn the house just to see in the dark,” is on its surface a great lyric. Getting into the weeds on it though is even more fun. Even as I sit here now trying to type something out I have about three different ideas on what that could mean, but that’s the beauty of being a listener. My ideas might not be the same as yours. And, that’s the beauty of music we keep listening. And oh how I have with this ep. I think I’m on my eighth. “Onto” is a song that closes out the ep. Lyrically is a song going through getting older, but it’s more than that and like most of these songs it’s hard to just label it as one thing. It’s also a great song to end with and ride out into the sunset with.
What the music is or isn’t in terms of labels is not up to me. For an ep though this one rocks. And rocks in a way that only Massing can. Six songs and twenty-two minutes later I and it were not enough for me to get my fix of this band. They have something to say. There is more there. However, I heard somebody say this a while ago “always leave them wanting more.” To stay in the realm of simplicity they rocked that aspect and put together six songs that did a whole lot more than rocked also. It was a pleasure to get lost on a couch through the sonics of this band / duo called Massing and their EP Nothin’ to Fear. Only time will tell what else they drop, and until then I will patiently wait for whatever comes next.
