The girl-powered pop rock band once known as Grady have enjoyed a busy and successful year. From a concert on New Year’s Eve and a residency at DC9 to a weekender tour across three cities, they’ve been dedicated to getting their unreleased music to listeners in the District and beyond. The Howard Theatre, the Runaway, and Comet Ping Pong are just a few among the many local venues they’ve performed at in 2023. 

But performing isn’t all the trio have been up to. Now rebranded as Massie to avoid trademark infringement and to distinguish themselves from others using the name “Grady,” they took their first step away from being a live-only band with the release of their first single, “Never Live Without You Again,” on Sept. 29. They’re chasing the single with their debut EP, Grady Says Serotonin, which will come out on Oct. 13 and be accompanied by a performance at the Black Cat that night.

“For two years people have been asking us how they can listen to our music,” guitarist and singer Emily Yaremchuk tells City Paper. “Now we’ve got something to show them.”

The new EP is set to contain five songs, four of which the band says will be familiar to their audience, including “Big Red” and “Once in the Mouth.” The one track only diehard fans may know is called “TV,” a song that Massie recalls playing just twice before shelving it for later. Despite having a tough time making “TV” work live, they managed to find a place for it on an EP that shows off the band’s range.

“We want to show what we’re capable of,” Yaremchuk says. “Some of the songs lean a little bit more towards pop while some of them are maybe a little bit dirtier.”

All three band members are ecstatic about releasing the Grady Says Serotonin and finally having a published discography. They find it surreal that all the hard work they’ve done since starting the band inside drummer Samantha Collings’ old apartment in 2018 has come to fruition.

“It’s just awesome,” Collings says. “[Bassist] Will [Salzmann] and Emily are my family and this band means more to me than pretty much anything. I love getting to do this with them—blood, sweat, tears, laughter, all of it.”

“Finally having a real representation of this band through the EP that can live on forever is such a beautiful thing,” Salzmann adds. “I’m very lucky to have these two in my life and looking forward to the whole EP coming out.”

The EP isn’t all Massie have in store for their fans. Many regular crowd-pleasing songs from their performance set lists didn’t make it into the upcoming release, which only means they plan to get them out to listeners in the form of singles and other big projects.

“The grind never stops,” Yaremchuk says. “We’re going to release the EP and then get right back into the studio and finish up the other singles, so you won’t have to wait too long.”

But for now, the band are looking forward to doing what they’ve been mastering over the past couple of years: giving their audience stunning performances. They especially want people to come out to their show at the Black Cat to celebrate everything they’ve managed to accomplish so far together. “We are super excited to be playing Black Cat for the first time ever,” Yaremchuk says. “Not only will it be our debut show there but it’ll be Friday the 13th. This is our chance to have a fun, spooky time.”

“You’re not going to want to miss this one,” she continues. “This show is going to be one to remember … hopefully for the right reasons.”

Massie perform with Fetcher and Dorinda at 8 p.m. on Oct. 13 at the Black Cat. blackcatdc.com. $20–$25.