My Own Mess

My Own Mess is the debut studio album by Australian surf music and garage rock band Skegss, released on 7 September 2018. The album debuted and peaked at number 2 on the ARIA Charts.

My Own Mess
Studio album by Skegss
Released	7 September 2018
Genre	Surf rock, punk rock
Length	40:08
Label	Ratbag
Producer	Dylan Adams
Skegss chronology
Holiday Food (2017) My Own Mess (2018) Rehearsal (2021)
Singles from My Own Mess
"Up in the Clouds" Released: 24 April 2018[1] "Smogged Out" Released: 11 July 2018[2]

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, the album was nominated for Best Rock Album, losing out to Amyl and the Sniffers by Amyl and the Sniffers.^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The AU Review	[4]
Clash	[5]
The Newcastle Herald	[6]

Laviea Thomas from Clash gave the album a positive review describing the album as "Swirling in surfer-boy aesthetic, heartfelt lyrics and joyous guitar patterns." Thomas said "Need to Do" was the "stand out on the album."^[5]

John Lesson from The Newcastle Herald said "Skegss might appear like typical surfer or skate rats, but this three-piece possess an uncanny knack for melody [and] ... while it's typically lo-fi and uncomplicated the hooks are constant." Lesson ended saying "My Own Mess suffers from lack of variety, but Skegss have made one damn catchy debut."^[6]

Daniel Hansson from The AU Review said "on the whole My Own Mess floats between the faster chordal patterns of tracks like 'Couch Party' while other tracks, particularly 'Midnight Eyes' and 'Need to Do' are more laid back, giving the album a little bit of breathing room." Hansson concluded saying "My Own Mess is a great album for any long-term Skegss fan or someone just coming into the trio's energy bound sounds, [and] it combines both the spirit of their original releases as well as throwing in new ideas to help liven the album up and keep their music fresh."^[4]

Impact

According to Pilerats writer Hayden Davies, "the release of My Own Mess helped pave the future for Australian surf-rock and [placed] Skegss on an untouchable pedestal they've held ever since." Davies also wrote that the album "built upon the surf-rock experimentation defined by acts like Fidlar and Dune Rats and transformed it into concise, anthemic tracks full of Skegss' natural charm and energy."^[7]

Track listing

All tracks written by Toby Cregan and Benny Reed.

1. "Up in the Clouds" – 2:29
2. "Infinity" – 2:26
3. "Transaction Fee" – 2:33
4. "Road Trip" – 2:36
5. "Smogged Out" – 2:54
6. "Paradise" – 3:05
7. "Margarita" – 2:53
8. "Couch Party" – 1:46
9. "Stop" – 2:23
10. "Midnight Eyes" – 3:01
11. "Harry Mac" – 2:33
12. "Need to Do" – 3:28
13. "Testing" – 2:12
14. "My Own Mess" – 2:40
15. "My Mind" – 3:07

Charts

Chart performance of My Own Mess

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[8]	2

References

1. "Up in the Clouds - single". Apple Music. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
2. "Smogged Out - single". Apple Music. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
3. "2019 ARIA Award Winners Announced". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 27 November 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
4. "Album Review: Skegss capture life perfectly in debut album My Own Mess (2018 LP)". The AU Review. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
5. "Skegss - My Own Mess". Clash. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
6. "REVIEW: Skegss My Own Mess 3.5 stars". The Newcastle Herald. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
7. Davies, Hayden (26 March 2021). "Huge call, but Skegss' new album Rehearsal may be their best work yet". Pilerats. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
8. "Australiancharts.com – Skegss – My Own Mess". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2020.