Masaya, the Indie Groove band from Raglan, New Zealand, recently released their debut album, Chronicles of Youth.
Masaya, the eclectic and dynamic band hailing from Raglan, New Zealand, has crafted a sound that defies categorization. With their signature blend of indie, roots, soul, and groove, Masaya has created a sonic experience that is uniquely their own.
The band’s latest offering, Chronicles Of Youth, captures the essence of their hometown surf vibes and their experiences as youth in today’s world. The album is a masterful collection of raw and authentic themes that shape the sound, showcasing the band’s maturity and evolution as musicians.
From the opening notes of the album’s title track, Masaya sets the tone for an immersive musical journey. The groovy basslines, and steady drum beat, and soulful vocals transport the listener to the sun-soaked shores of Raglan. Tracks like “Black Sheep“, and “Guilty Ways” showcase the band’s ability to seamlessly blend different genres, creating a sound that is both timeless and contemporary.
From the idea of running away from your past in “Runnin'” to the struggles of mental health and addiction in “Ride wit Us” and “Mung Bean,” respectively, Masaya brings their personal experiences to the forefront in every track.
One standout track, “Attention,” is a fun and upbeat song that captures the courage it takes to ask someone to dance on the dance floor. Meanwhile, “Taken Down” is a powerful track calling out festival organizers for disrespecting the band and their music, with a resounding message that they can’t be taken down.
What sets Masaya apart is their ability to weave together personal and universal themes, creating a sonic experience that is simultaneously intimate and relatable. Whether they’re exploring the complexities of the industry, the challenges of self-discovery, or the joys of living in the moment, Masaya delivers each lyric with raw emotion and authenticity.
Masaya’s Chronicles of Youth is a well-crafted and honest album that highlights the band’s talent and ambition as a rising force in the indie music scene. Join us as Masaya takes us on a walk through.
Chronicles of Youth
(C.O.Y) is an album we wrote as a reflection of our own experiences as youth and our own generation in these current times. Raw authentic themes have shaped and developed the sound of this album.
Runnin’
The idea of Runnin’ stemmed from the thought of running away from your past/darkness, or your demons and trying to overcome them. It is written in a way where we are fighting our own battles and running away all over the world or to the land where our own garden of eden is, instead of standing there and fighting that demon and overcoming it.
Black Sheep
This song is about how the mandates were implied to be vaccinated in order to play music and we got vaccinated just so we can play music and ended up not being able to play during summer because of going into lockdown again. In this track we are the black sheep because we didn’t really know what was going on during the pandemic where our government didn’t keep their promise but also our PM being considered the black sheep because we were left in the unknown during the uncertain times of a pandemic.
Guilty Ways
Is a song that highlights a friend’s decision and tries to pull you into doing something that could make you feel unsteady or “guilty” and you don’t want to do it. But because it’s your friend, you do it anyway. It’s also about trying to break free from the influence of doing bad things with your friend who wants you to do it but you rather do the right thing even if it means losing a friendship.
Attention
This light and fun song is about building up the courage to ask the girl or guy you find attractive on the dance floor to come and have a boogie with you before the night ends. Home is a song Reiki and Kaea wrote about their little hometown Raglan and its description of what the town is like and growing up there from a young age. It’s also a song about having that nostalgic feeling of wanting to go back home and also anywhere you feel safe is your home.
How Long
Reiki originally wrote this song when he saw a sailing boat on the harbor during a rainy day and asked himself what it’ll be like to be that sailing boat stranded out on the ocean and how long you’ll be there for and how long can you hold on for. The song is written in a way with the idea of when things will change. Change with a relationship you’re having or change in the way you’re living your life or change in a way of getting out of that stranded ocean.
Ride wit Us
Kaea originally wrote this song when she was in a dark place and struggling with mental health and depression so she wrote this song as a way to get her out of that pit and let loose. It’s a call to arms to draw the people out of that pit and not being afraid to cut loose and getting onboard the band’s vibe and music. The idea is having Masaya support you through their music and live shows and get you on their train to ride out of that pit of darkness.
Taken Down
This is a song about being disrespected and calling a festival or organizer out because of what they did to us one time at a show, but also showing and letting them know that even though what happened happened, they can’t take us down and we will always do 150% of our performance and give it our all for the people who support us and back us all the way.
Feel Good
Feel Good is a song about having a relationship with drugs and how they have an effect on you when you’re having a good time on those drugs.
Mung Bean
This song is about addiction. It was firstly written about a friend who loved taking drugs but it took over a part of him, because he relied on them and didn’t take them responsibly. He could find himself spiraling down into a bad state and ruining his life if he didn’t watch out. It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of having fun on drugs but it’s all just a fantasy. With our own experience as well it was a wake up call and a lesson we learnt to not get caught up in that little fantasy and live life to the fullest.
Walker
From Reiki, “it’s about reaching out to someone who was dearest to myself and all I needed to do was ask them out and so I did but in a form of a song with them being the person who was interested and needed myself to buck up and ask if they wanted me to walk them home.”
Stay tuned to Masaya’s socials for tour schedule.
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