Villanelle are back with their second single. ‘Measly Means’ dropped on November 12th, 2025, bringing the kind of raw, grunge-inflected energy that’s been missing from UK guitar music lately.
The London trio — Gene Gallagher (vocals and guitar), Ben Taylor (guitar), and Jack Schiavo (bass) — have been making serious noise despite having just two released tracks.
They spent much of 2024 opening UK and Ireland arena dates on Liam Gallagher’s Definitely Maybe 30th Anniversary Tour, cutting their teeth in front of massive crowds and learning how to command an arena stage early on.
‘Measly Means’ channels Smashing Pumpkins by way of Nevermind-era Nirvana. Thick guitar sustains and bends give it that Billy Corgan heft, while thunderous basslines anchor the track’s jumpy, pogo-worthy energy.
It’s about being hungover, apparently. Gene wrote the lyrics when he was fourteen, and that rawness comes through.
“‘Measly Means’ we laboured over for ages,” Gene told Rolling Stone. “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.”
The band have been testing this one live since May 2024, often opening their arena sets with it during the Definitely Maybe tour.
That trial by fire tightened them up considerably — by the time they came off those shows and returned to club gigs, they’d evolved into a far more solid unit.
Villanelle aren’t shy about their influences. They’re proud Nirvana obsessives who’ve essentially reverse-engineered the Nevermind sound and added their own UK spin.
It’s easy to see why their commitment to unfiltered grunge rock feels refreshing rather than retro.
For more classic grunge tracks that shaped the sound outside Seattle, check out Neon Music’s list of the top 10 grunge songs that didn’t come from Seattle.
Their December UK headline tour sold out quickly, including a stop at The Lexington in London on December 15th.
They’ll also be joining Miles Kane’s 2026 UK and European tour, with a debut EP set for spring 2026 and their first U.S. shows planned for later in the year.
For a band with just two official releases, Villanelle have already built the kind of following that screams along to unreleased tracks ripped from fan-shot YouTube clips. ‘
Measly Means’ gives those fans something substantial to sink their teeth into while signalling what’s coming next.