With her old-school Americana-pop vibe oozing through her recent singles ‘A Beautiful Undone’ and ‘Willing To Break’, ILUKA is ready to experiment a little deeper and give listeners a fresh new sonical perspective.
‘Mess’ hears the Sydney based singer-songwriter teaming up with Lime Cordiale for an infectious pop anthem that celebrates the reckless moments of being young and heartbroken. Honing that feeling of not giving a fuck in the wake of a break-up, she details all the reckless decisions she makes with no care for the implications they may have later. With the outlook of the attitude representing that she’s doing okay, she explicitly makes it known to her ex that she’s not, and the only reason she’s acting out is because she doesn’t know what else to do with her spiralling emotions. “You thought that I was doing fine? Babe, I confess that I’m a fucking mess without ya” she sings during the anthemic hook.
Contrasting that sentiment with a big swaying pop production, she takes her Americana-pop roots and steers towards a cinematic direction. This song could perfectly slip itself into a coming of age movie soundtrack on Netflix with its anthemic approach that turns this introspective moment into a celebration of feelings.
With Lime Cordiale’s lead vocalist Lous Leimbach on the second verse and harmonies, this is an unexpected collaboration that fitted perfectly. Bringing a different perspective to the song, they were able to turn it into a full-rounded emotional exploration of heartbreak. It’s one that be immediately stuck in your head, and one you’ll be quickly hitting replay on.