FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BOY BEACH BRINGS QUEER ROMANCE TO THE CHRISTMAS SOUNDTRACK WITH HEATED HOLIDAY
Provincetown couple Michael Sottile and Billy Mecca launch independent label Boy Beach Music with a 13-track original Christmas album blending nostalgic pop, theatrical romance and contemporary production.
PROVINCETOWN, MA - October 23, 2026 - What if a Christmas album told a love story between two men?
That’s the idea behind Heated Holiday, a 13-song original Christmas album from Boy Beach, the music project founded by Provincetown couple Michael Sottile and Billy Mecca. Just released October 23, the holiday pop album unfolds in two acts, bringing the chemistry, longing and emotional stakes of romantic storytelling into one of popular music’s most familiar traditions: Christmas love songs.
Male-male romance stories have found an expanding audience through bestselling books to television and film adaptations, reaching beyond the LGBTQ+ community. With Heated Holiday, Boy Beach brings that cultural moment to holiday music, creating a romantic world of its own and offering a fresh perspective on what a Christmas record can sound like.
The album’s lead single, “Better At Christmas,” released October 2, captures the feeling at the heart of the project: how the spirit of the season can make us more open, more hopeful and more willing to take a chance on love.
“Christmas has this incredible energy where the usual rules seem to loosen their grip,” says Sottile, Boy Beach’s composer, lyricist and producer. “We tend to be a little more open at Christmas, a little more hopeful, and maybe a little braver about saying how we feel. ‘Better At Christmas’ is about how that time of year can give two people the nudge they need to find their way back to each other.”
The album began with a simple suggestion from Mecca while the couple was spending the winter in Mexico. They should make a Christmas record. Like Cher.
Sottile took that seed and transformed it into 13 original songs and a larger creative vision.
“I threw out an idea for a Christmas record while we were in Mexico, and Michael took it somewhere I never could have imagined,” says Mecca. “What started as a thought between the two of us became this entire world of songs. That’s one of the things I love most about working with Michael. He doesn’t just take an idea and execute it. He finds the bigger idea inside of it.”
Alongside Michael Sottile’s vocals and instrumentation, the album showcases an ensemble of accomplished musicians, including two-time Tony and Grammy Award nominee AnnMarie Milazzo (vocals and vocal design), Grammy Award winner Frank Grillo (trumpet), vocalists Nick Petrone and Catherine Porter, and musicians Nina Chikviladze, Aleksander Dolgy, Ivan Krnic, Federico Sirocco and Alex Somov. Blending live musicianship with innovative sound design and modern studio production techniques, the album pairs the spirit and energy of classic pop with a distinct contemporary sensibility.
Rather than presenting a collection of seasonal songs, Heated Holiday puts a fresh perspective on a familiar tradition: Who gets to be seen in the classic Christmas love story?
For Boy Beach, the answer is simple. Queer love belongs in the holiday soundtrack. The stories may be specific, but the feelings at their heart - longing, vulnerability, hope, and the courage toreach for someone - are universal.
Boy Beach is rooted in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where the couple’s creative lives intersect with the community’s long history of LGBTQ+ culture, artistic expression and freedom. Sottile and Mecca bring distinct backgrounds to Boy Beach. Sottile draws on his experience in theater and performance to shape the music and storytelling, while Mecca brings his background in fashion, gay lifestyle publishing and curation to the project’s creative direction and visual identity.
With Heated Holiday, Boy Beach invites listeners to experience the season from a fresh perspective. Because sometimes the best holiday tradition is making room for a new kind of love.
ABOUT BOY BEACH MUSIC
Boy Beach Music is an independent music label founded by Michael Sottile and Billy Mecca in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Bringing together original music, storytelling and contemporary culture, the label launches with Heated Holiday, the debut album from Boy Beach.
ALBUM DETAILS
Album: Heated Holiday
Artist: Boy Beach
Songwriter: Michael Sottile
Label: Boy Beach Music
Release date: October 23, 2026
Lead single: “Better At Christmas” (released October 2, 2026)
Format: 13-track original Christmas album
LISTENING & PRESS MATERIALS
Album listening and press kit are available upon request.
Listen to “Better At Christmas”: Streaming now on major platforms
Purchase Heated Holiday: Available at boybeach.com (iTunes and Amazon Music Nov.1)
PRESS CONTACT
Boy Beach Music
Billy Mecca / Michael Sottile
Email: ahoy@boybeach.com
Official Website: boybeach.com
Follow Boy Beach:
Instagram: @boybeachmusic
Facebook: facebook.com/boybeachmusic
TikTok: @boybeachmusic