Gene Gallagher’s Villanelle tackle hangovers on Smashing Pumpkins-inspired new single ‘Measly Means’

Villanelle have shared a hazy new single called ‘Measly Means’, inspired by The Smashing Pumpkins.

The new track is the latest to be shared from the UK trio – comprised of frontman Gene Gallagher, guitarist Ben Taylor and bassist Jack Schiavo – from their forthcoming debut EP. They dropped the first teaser in the form of the grunge-inflected track ‘Hinge’, back in September.

Today (Wednesday November 12), the band are back with an alt-rock inspired track that is about hangovers, and draws musical inspiration from the Billy Corgan-fronted band.

In ‘Measly Means’, the band capture a unique mix of nonchalant grunge dynamics, alongside fierce riffs and thunderous basslines.

“‘Measly Means’ we laboured over for ages,” singer Gene Gallagher said. “At first it sounded too light and lovey, but when Ben added the bends and sustains that made it feel like Smashing Pumpkins I was like, that’s it. Like ‘Hinge’ I wrote the lyrics when I was about fourteen. It’s about being hungover. It’s a bit of a theme.”

Speaking to NME, he added: “It was one of the first riffs we ever did. The lyrics I wrote nonsensically at 14. It just stuck around for ages. I liked it for so long, so it had to just be right.”

Schiavo continued, telling us: “The lyrics flow like a rap song, almost. I remember Gene bringing the song in to a random rehearsal in October 2023. I love that riff. It’s very Beatles-esque. I love that song. We laboured a lot over that one. Like a lot of our songs, it just goes up and up.”

The forthcoming EP was produced by James Neville during sessions at Teeth Studios, near Croydon. It is predicted to arrive in 2025, but more details about the title and release will be shared at a later date.

The group played a sold-out launch show at London’s Jaguar Shoes on September 11, and are set to embark on an underplay headline tour next month, before joining Miles Kane on tour in the new year. Visit here for tickets and more information.

Villanelle’s tour dates are:

DECEMBER – HEADLINE SHOWS
4 – Glasgow, McChuills
5 – Sunderland, Independent
7 – Stockton, KU
9 – Preston, The Ferret
10 – Manchester, The Castle Hotel
11 – Northwich, The Salty Dog
14 – Oxford, The Jericho
15 – London, The Lexington
16 – Southampton, The Joiners

JANUARY – WITH MILES KANE
24 – Glasgow, O2 Academy 1
26 – Sheffield, Crookes Social Club
27 – Sheffield, Crookes Social Club
29 – Southampton, The 1865
30 – London, Roundhouse
31 – Manchester, Albert Hall

FEBRUARY – WITH MILES KANE
2 – Bristol, O2 Academy
3 – Newcastle, NX
5 – Leeds, Project House
6 – Nottingham, Rock City
7 – Birmingham, O2 Institute

Around the time ‘Hinge’ was released, Villanelle spoke to NME about what brought the band together, and how they supported Liam Gallagher (Gene’s dad) on his ‘Definitely Maybe’ 30th anniversary tour in 2024.

“It was a genuine passion and drive to bring back rock music again,” Taylor told NME of how they came to form the band. “Bands have been in the culture lately, but it was indie rock for a long time. Then it plateaued into an almost ‘pop’ band-y culture. We wanted to bring something back.”

Check out that full interview here.