Debut track Stay Blue introduced us to LA band Secret Smiles with a bolt of Laurel Canyon desert fuzz that shook our attention. Now, the quartet returns with sophomore song, Massacre, a ramped-up country-inspired tune that tells of how far someone will go to protect the ones they love – “But with a twist,” hints frontman Julian de la Celle.

Recorded with Starcrawler‘s guitar maestro Henri Cash, the two tracks form half of Secret Smile’s upcoming self-titled debut EP. Of this, frontman Julian de la Celle tells us, “We recorded four songs with my friend Henri of Starcrawler in their DIY basement studio in Pasadena. The original idea was to just record Stay Blue and Massacre, but the process went so quickly, we were able to throw in two more songs – those will come out about a month or two apart, and ultimately all of these songs will be on our first EP.”

Consisting of de la Celle (vocals/guitar), Ian Waters (guitar), Zeh Monstro (bass), and Ann Seletos (drums), Secret Smiles are close friends who found each other by playing in various bands on the LA music circuit. Joining forces just seemed right: “It’s a really great dynamic,” de la Celle says, “low stress, no drama, just how I like it.”

Premiering their new track Massacre via a lyric video, we also share a behind-the-scenes photo diary taken during the band’s EP recording process.

Follow Secret Smiles here.