Stella and the Very Messed Share New Single “Big Familiar”

Austin indie-rock mainstays Stella and the Very Messed have returned with the thunderous title track to their upcoming sophomore album, Big Familiar, due out September 19th, via Double Helix Records. The single, also titled “Big Familiar”, is a raw, hook-laden anthem that blends thrashing guitars with synth-laced shimmer—equal parts riot grrrl fury and nostalgic ache. It’s not a breakup song with a person, but with a place: the ghosts of home, memory, and a version of yourself you’ve long since outgrown.

“Big Familiar is a sad song about my hometown,” says frontwoman Stella Maxwell. “I have a strong aversion to most forms of nostalgia—even the good memories carry a kind of ache. I seem forgetful or unsentimental, but really I’m just avoiding the past. It’s about the guilt that comes with stepping back from crumbling family ties, even when it’s necessary for your own survival.” That emotional tightrope is threaded throughout the track, where Maxwell’s searing lyrics and vulnerable vocal performance push through a wall of sound reminiscent of Paramore, Veruca Salt, and The New Pornographers.

With its jagged alt-rock energy and sharply confessional tone, Big Familiar marks a creative high point for the band, which includes longtime collaborators Maxwell and David Hawkins (both of Cruiserweight fame), alongside a powerhouse lineup from Austin’s indie scene: Chris Nine, Mohadev, and Sam Rich. The album—recorded with Michael Landon at Estuary Recording and mixed by Andrew Oedel—captures the unfiltered emotion and musical range of a band both seasoned and fearlessly unpinned. “We like hooks, but we like depth, too,” Maxwell explains. “It’s not about fitting into a lane anymore.”

Like the album it teases, “Big Familiar” embraces contradiction: sadness wrapped in pop sensibility, personal discomfort turned anthemic. Maxwell’s lyrical balance of wit and poignancy is evident in previous tracks like “Keds With No Laces” and the fan-favorite “Constable Garza Is Bad At His Job” (yes, that’s a real name). But it’s “Big Familiar” that firmly sets the emotional tone for what’s to come—a record about memory, identity, and letting go without losing yourself in the process.

The single “Big Familiar” is out now on all platforms. The full album Big Familiar arrives September 19, 2025, via Double Helix Records. For fans of cathartic indie rock with a clever heart and a fearless streak, Stella and the Very Messed are carving out a space all their own—one beautifully hard to define.