I appreciate a song that doesn't spend too much time getting itself started. It could just be that I have a short attention span, but once an intro hits a minute long, I hit skip. Stella and the Very Messed's new single, “Big Familiar,” is a shining example of a song that cuts the crap, coming in hot with distorted guitars and fuzzy vocals that shock you like a jolt from a faulty tube amplifier.
“Big Familiar” is a track that bridges a thirty-year gap in rock. It is so clearly a love letter to grunge with its wailing guitars and gravely rhythm. It would fit in seamlessly on a playlist amongst bands like Alice in Chains and Hole. At the same time, it doesn't come off as stale. The song plays with the effects and vocals of modern shoegaze. It gives the track a shot of originality that keeps it from sounding like a Meat Puppets rip-off.
The song sounds like an empty highway on a summer night. Sixty miles an hour with the windows down. Unsure of where you're heading but certain there's nothing worthwhile behind you. It's somber and sweet, a gut punch that doesn't let up but leaves you wanting more. It's a smile in a hurricane. The knowledge that you will weather the storm whether you want to or not because it's the only thing to do.
“Big Familiar” is the first track we've heard from Stella and the Very Messed since “Crystal Ball” and “Merchandiser” dropped in 2023. In 2024, we were given an update saying the band had written some new material and was working on recording it. Assuming that “Big Familiar” is the first of this group of new songs, I think we're in for something spectacular.
Keep an eye on Stella and the Very Messed; it seems we're in for some more new releases any time now. While you wait, you can get caught up with their discography, which includes a full-length album, an EP, six singles, and a heavy cover of Fleetwood Mac's “Everywhere.” If you happen to find yourself in Austin, Texas, you can catch them playing the local circuit. If that's too far off your radar, you can listen to their catalog wherever you stream your music and check out their YouTube channel, where you can find the music video for “Big Familiar” alongside several others.
