[Cover photo credit to Magen Buse]

Stella and the Very Messed have returned with their sophomore full-length album, Big Familiar, due out September 19, 2025 on Double Helix Records. The project is helmed by Stella Maxwell and David Hawkins, formerly of Austin Alt-Rock band 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).

The band has released album title track, “Big Familiar”, a breakup song, though it is not about breaking up with a lover, but with the past.

Maxwell explains:

‘Big Familiar’ is a sad song about my hometown. 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.

Channeling ’90s Alt-Rock with a modern edge, Big Familiar is the band’s most personal work to date, described as “a record for anyone navigating identity, memory, and what it means to outgrow your origins.”

Stella and the Very Messed Live: 

7/25 – Marfa, TX – Viva Big Bend Festival 

7/26 – Austin, TX – Hotel Vegas w/ Booher

8/31 – Austin, TX – Ballroom Benefit for Louder Than Hate