Stream New Single "The Feeling" Here:
Austin, TX's Stella and the Very Messed will release their latest EP 'Marigold' on Friday, May 7th.
The band is giving listeners a preview of the EP with the first single "The Feeling."
Stream the track HERE: https://soundcloud.com/user-910782166/the-feeling
Of the new song, frontwoman Stella Maxwell says, “We were excited to create a song that combines an upbeat groove with sad lyrics. Think ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’ but the lyrics are more ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’.”
Stella and the Very Messed will celebrate the release of the EP with a special show at The Far Out! in Austin, TX on May 6th with their friends Hey Jellie and Gabe Hascall. Check out the FB event page: https://fb.me/e/2cmfisHbm.
Stella and The Very Messed began as an idea spat from the imaginations of Stella Maxwell and Dave Hawkins, former members of Austin, TX based pop-rock band, Cruiserweight. While the band retains some key elements of their former band’s sound-- quick and to-the-point rock ‘n’ roll executed with high energy and painfully hooky melodies-- this new project also ventures into new territory, experimenting with more complex instrumentation and arrangements, ranging from dancey synth-pop to Americana. Stella and the Very Messed exist on a continuum that matches the passage of time between then and now; you can hear the early 2000’s pop-rock past in their songs but it’s like, an evolution, maaaaan.
The story of Stella and the Very Messed began with Maxwell and Hawkins’ past life in Cruiserweight. During the band’s 12-year lifespan, they signed to Doghouse Records (Warner Music Group), toured extensively throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan, showcased regularly at SXSW and CMJ music conferences, and received numerous local and regional accolades, including the Austin Chronicle Award for “Best Punk/Alternative Band” for four consecutive years, before disbanding in 2011.
After a year of fleshing out ideas and recording demos, Maxwell and Hawkins recruited Chris Nine (Karaoke Apocalypse, Manhole) and Donnie Adkinson (The Letters Organize, Whores) to record their debut full-length album. 'On Fences' was released in January 2020, and the band fortified their live sound with new members Nik Snell (The Cutaway) and Sam Rich (Black Books). Beloved Austin radio station, KUTX picked up the first track, “The Mightiest/Writiest Pen” and put it in their regular rotation for a few months, which solidified the band’s stature in Austin. A slew of shows were lined up for the spring, but after playing a couple, the band said NAH LET’S GO TO OUR RESPECTIVE HOMES FOR A YEAR AND LEARN TO SEW OR WHATEVER AND NEVER SEE ANYONE BECAUSE THAT SOUNDS FUN. And so they did go home, like most everyone else.
The thing about pandemics is they don’t happen very often, so knowing how you’ll be affected by one is impossible until it happens. For Maxwell, a few months in lockdown gave way to an unforeseen perspective: with the entire world turned upside down, she was finally ready to write about her personal tragedy, which had felt impossible until she saw it against the backdrop of global suffering. With three new songs on deck, the band got to work, passing around files and slowly assembling what would become their next release.
Stella and Very Messed’s newest EP, 'Marigold' (Out 5/7/2021) was produced, engineered, and mixed by Hawkins at Sunbird Studios, just outside of Austin. The songs are heartbreakingly personal, pieced together beautifully with plenty of space. The first two tracks convey longing and grief, respectively; “The Feeling” is anchored by a tasteful blend of acoustic and electric guitar, while “Marigold” celebrates wide open space with bare-bones instrumentation and somber overtones. The third track, “Ain’t No Baby” is a tongue-in-cheek palate cleanser with a strong nod to mid-90’s fuzzy guitar rock.
On 6/4/2021, the band will release an alternate version of the song, “Marigold”, titled, “Marigold (Mandolin Mix)”. Hawkins says, “The process of arranging these songs remotely lent itself to all kinds of interesting ideas. By the time we finished ‘Marigold’, we realized it was as if we had two unique interpretations of the song. We ultimately decided to run with that idea, creating the album version which is soaring and spacious, and this alternative version which feels more intimate, and of course highlights the badassery of our multi-instrumentalist, Chris Nine, on the mandolin.”
'Marigold' EP Tracklisting:
1. The Feeling
2. Marigold
3. Ain't No Baby
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