Stella and the Very Messed Share ‘Lack of Secrets’ from Upcoming LP ‘Big Familiar’
Austin’s Stella and the Very Messed return with ‘Lack of Secrets,’ the second single off their upcoming LP ‘Big Familiar,’ out September 19 on Double Helix Records.
It’s a punchy, synth-led cut built on raw repetition and no-frills truth. Stella Maxwell holds nothing back, delivering lines that feel less like a performance and more like a confrontation. “History, I don’t wanna / History, what a bummer / History, sweep it under.” It’s not nostalgia. It’s accountability avoidance, told plain.
Maxwell says the track went through a long cycle: written, scrapped, reworked, rebuilt. The final version kept some of the original placeholder lyrics. “Some words just hit right, even if they weren’t meant to last,” she says. “The rest of the song filled itself in over time.”
‘Lack of Secrets’ follows lead single ‘Big Familiar,’ which dropped earlier this summer. The full record brings together longtime collaborators from the Austin indie scene: Maxwell, David Hawkins (Cruiserweight), Chris Nine (Schatzi), Mohadev (Stop Motion Orchestra), and Sam Rich (Black Books).
This Austin indie band led by Stella Maxwell and David Hawkins, has been freely exploring different styles. Their upcoming LP, 0Big Familiar,0 blends ’90s alt with modern indie pop’s playful approach… Inspired by bands like XTC and Squeeze, they weave diverse sounds—from ’80s synth-pop to crunchy guitar rock—with honest, often bittersweet, lyrical themes. Songs like ‘Not Dynamite’ showcase playful collisions of pop and rock, while ‘Keds With No Laces’ and ‘Big Familiar’ delve into nostalgia, family, and difficult relationships. The album, born from a fast-paced creative burst, captures a band that balances melancholy with wit and avoids sentimentality. With a history of acclaimed releases like ‘On Fences’ and the ‘Marigold’ EP, the band are about making music they love, on their very own terms.
Headline photo: Rachel Mascardo
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