rewind: Messes - Stef Chura

words: Kat Harding

rewind takes you back to a previously released album that we don't want you to miss. 

Stef Chura, hailing from Detroit, Michigan, released Messes in late January on Urinal Cakes Records and we haven’t stopped spinning it since. Her voice is everything: at times twangy, saccharin and even low and brash. Her vocals are mixed loudly over finger-picked garage-pop guitar and bass lines that make you want to sway back and forth. Messes demands to be a staple for any fan of powerful women with something to say.

While many may think of Detroit as a deserted post-industrial town, there is a vibrant underground and DIY scene, of which Chura has long been a part of. She’s moved nearly 20 times within the state, always barely unpacking before heading to the next place, turning her experience into song. Just check out the opening track of the album, “Slow Motion,” where she says “right when it starts to feel like home, it’s time to go,” a feeling many relate to in our continual quest to strive for the next best thing, switching majors, switching jobs. “Low” gives some serious Hole vibes, Chura’s voice growling, “sick and tired, I always admired you from afar,” knowing that an intended romantic target is no good. The title track gives the same feeling: we know better. With distorted, hazy vocals and heavy guitars, Chura guides us through a bad relationship.

The album cover features a mess waiting for someone to come along and clean it up - there's smeared and spilled makeup, sprinkles, a roach and a waffle. Her music is anything but the untidiness depicted on the cover, displaying focus and determination, and unveiling a story of grungy growth and the bravery to make changes.

Pick up her album here. And go listen to our podcast, where Chura joined us to chat, here!