Stella and The Very Messed – Big Familiar

‘Big Familiar’ is the quirky, electric, and emotionally raw sophomore full-length album from Austin, TX-based indie rock band Stella and the Very Messed. Stella and the Very Messed is helmed by Stella Maxwell and David Hawkins, formerly of Austin alt-rock cult favorites Cruiserweight (Doghouse/Warner Music Group), and joined by an all-star lineup from the Austin indie scene: Chris Nine (Schatzi, Moving Panoramas), Mohadev (Stop Motion Orchestra), and Sam Rich (Black Books, Broken Gold). Like the band’s members, ‘Big Familiar’ is seasoned, self-aware, hard to peg and very vulnerable. Word on the street is Stella herself was against pressing vinyl, due to her doubts about whether or not the band has earned such a hip notch in the proverbial belt. She was obviously outvoted. Featuring the singles “Big Familiar”, “Lack of Secrets”, and “Not Dynamite”, ‘Big Familiar’ is packed with 10 hook-laden, hyper-melodic, heavily rhythmic, and genre-fluid indie rock/pop gems. If there’s a defining principle to Stella and the Very Messed, it’s this: Don’t worry about defining anything at all. “I’ve probably spent way too much of my life worrying about what box we fit into,” says frontwoman and lyricist Stella Maxwell. “At some point, I just stopped caring. We like hooks, but we like depth, too. It’s not about fitting into a lane anymore.” ‘Big Familiar’ is out September 19, 2025 via Double Helix Records. The 180g black vinyl variant, proudly pressed by Montclaire Pressing in Nacogdoches, TX, USA, is available in record stores.