Bodywash have announced their new album Laughing At Noise, and they’ve shared the second single, “Lapsang.” The Canadian dream-pop duo recorded the full-length over a year at Montreal’s Autoland Audio with Asher Gould-Murtagh on mixing. The record is out 11/20 on Light Organ.
Chris Steward and Rosie Long Decter make up Bodywash. Their 2023 sophomore album I Held The Shape While I Could brought them to wider attention, and this year they’ve released “Come And Go” ahead of the new record. Now the band has unveiled “Lapsang,” a track that looks back at the Montreal neighborhood where Steward spent his youth.
Steward’s Montreal Years
“Lapsang” is an ode to Montreal’s Little Italy neighborhood and the years I spent there, waiting for the 55 bus,” Steward says. He names the song after his favorite tea blend, Lapsang Souchong, which he describes as “impossibly smokey” and with “the most sing-song of names.”
The song’s riff and verse were written during an ice storm. A power outage forced Steward to write most of it without a computer, and the frozen tree tendrils outside looked a lot like the leaves of the tea he was brewing. That image became the working title, and it never changed.
Later, Steward and Long Decter recorded separate melodies for the chorus in the studio. They realized they could be woven together seamlessly.
Recording At Autoland Audio
Steward and Long Decter produced Laughing At Noise over the course of a year at Montreal’s Autoland Audio. Gould-Murtagh handled the mixing. The record is their third as a duo, following their debut and the 2023 album that caught attention.
The production process spanned a full year, which matches the scale of the songwriting story. A power outage during an ice storm pushed Steward to work without a computer, and the resulting song took shape in that moment.
The Tracklist
The album runs ten tracks. Here is the full sequence:
- “Turn In”
- “Widow’s Peak”
- “Lapsang”
- “Come And Go”
- “Like A Bell”
- “Pinup”
- “La Renommée”
- “A Sticker That’s Peeling”
- “Bliss”
- “Overpass”
“Lapsang” sits at position three on the tracklist, sandwiched between “Widow’s Peak” and “Come And Go.” The record opens with “Turn In” and closes with “Overpass.”
Video Directed By Evangelos Desborough
The music video for “Lapsang” is directed by Evangelos Desborough. It pairs with the song’s ode to Little Italy and the bus Steward waited for.
The visual captures the song’s sense of place, rooted in a specific corner of Montreal. Desborough’s direction ties the audio story to a visual one, giving listeners a way to see what Steward described.
Tour Dates For September And October
Bodywash are touring behind the album this fall. The dates take them across Canada, with stops in Montreal, Toronto, and Halifax.
- 09/19 — Montreal, QC @ Parc Vinet (SeptemberFest)
- 09/25 — Toronto, ON @ The Dance Cave (Second Summer Fest)
- 10/10 — Halifax, NS @ The Buffalo Club (NOWADAYS Festival)
The Montreal show happens at Parc Vinet as part of SeptemberFest. The Toronto stop is at The Dance Cave during Second Summer Fest. The Halifax show closes the tour at The Buffalo Club as part of NOWADAYS Festival.
What We Make Of It
The story of “Lapsang” is the kind of detail that makes an album feel personal rather than generic. A power outage forcing a songwriter to work without a computer is a small, specific hardship, and Steward turned it into a working title that stuck.
The frozen tree tendrils looking like tea leaves is the kind of image that stays with you. It gives the song a visual anchor that most pop songs don’t have, and it explains why the title never changed.
The production process also fits the story. A year of recording at Autoland Audio with Gould-Murtagh mixing is a deliberate, patient approach. The band didn’t rush the record, and the ice storm story suggests why.
The tour dates add context. The Montreal show at Parc Vinet is a hometown return, and the Toronto and Halifax stops extend the reach. These cities are all part of the same country, but each has its own character, and the festival settings give the shows a communal feel.
The Singles So Far
“Come And Go” arrived earlier this year. Now “Lapsang” follows it as the second single from the album. The tracklist shows where each single lands in the running order.
“Come And Go” sits at position four on the album. “Lapsang” is three spots earlier, at position three.
The Album Arrives November 20
Laughing At Noise is out 11/20 on Light Organ. Pre-orders are live now.
The record arrives with a clear identity. It’s a dream-pop album made by two people who have spent years honing their sound, and the ice storm story gives it a human scale that most promotional copy doesn’t offer.
Final Word
The album announcement is a reminder that pop music can still be about specific places and specific moments. Steward’s ode to Little Italy, the 55 bus, and the tea that gave the song its name is the kind of detail that makes a record feel lived-in rather than manufactured.
The power outage story adds a layer of humility. Writing without a computer isn’t glamorous, but it produced a song that Steward kept the title of, and that takes confidence.
The tour dates confirm the momentum. After the singles and the album announcement, Bodywash are putting the record in front of audiences across Canada this fall. The Montreal show at Parc Vinet is a homecoming, and the Toronto and Halifax stops extend the reach.
The record is due 11/20.
See the video the story is built around at Stereogum.
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