Pretend to Love Me Ranks Third of Seven for Radstock Grunge Band Mess
6 min read
Pretend to Love Me Ranks Third of Seven for Radstock Grunge Band Mess
A Somerset Three-Piece Aims Grunge and Punk Energy at Alt Rock Pop Listeners
Third of seven. That is where Pretend to Love Me sits in the Spotify top tracks of Mess, a grunge trio from Radstock. The alt rock pop single came out on 29 September 2025. Its position a year later therefore rests on recent plays rather than launch-week noise.
Mess feature in the playlist below with Pretend to Love Me, and the band’s full run of coverage now sits on the Mess artist profile. The single reached this desk through PopHits.Co Music Charts, which verifies independent artists and places their releases across its network of music news desks. Queue it up, then keep reading.
Who Pretend to Love Me by Mess Is For, From Nirvana Fans to Alt Rock Pop Playlists
Start with the catalogue, because a band’s own songs are the fairest yardstick. Mess have released seven songs since November 2022: three singles and a four-track EP. Of those, just two rank higher than the new single on Spotify. From The Cave, the opening track of the 2024 Therapy EP, holds first place. Melodramatic, the 2023 single, then holds second.
Below it, the order runs Self-Destruction, An Ordinary Family and Wisdom Is Worthless, which completes Therapy. Finally, Headcase, the band’s first single, sits in seventh. Like every release since Melodramatic, the new single came out on Sleep Naked Records.
The figures suggest why the newest entry travels. At 3:37, Pretend to Love Me is the shortest song Mess have released. In contrast, An Ordinary Family runs to 5:42, and even Headcase needs 4:32. The new single also carries no explicit tag, unlike Wisdom Is Worthless, so it suits the widest range of playlists.
The sound explains the rest. Mess call themselves an alt-rock, grunge and punk band, although this single leans towards the melodic end. It is filed under alt rock pop, alternative pop and alternative rock, while Apple Music lists it under punk. In short, the song pairs raw guitar energy with melodic hooks. Its title sets the subject, a love that may only be an act. Indeed, the band wrote it about the tangled side of relationships.
Three Listener Groups Most Likely to Take to Pretend to Love Me
The audience, then, is easy to sketch. To begin with, one group grew up on Nirvana. On Nevermind in 1991, the Seattle trio showed that distorted guitars and a pop chorus could share one track. Similarly, a Somerset three-piece pairing raw energy with melodic hooks works the same seam.
Another group came through Green Day. Dookie, released in 1994, pushed punk speed towards pop hooks without losing the guitars. So its fans are a natural fit for a song filed as both punk and alt rock pop.
Lastly, there is the newer UK alternative audience around Wolf Alice. The London band’s 2015 debut, My Love Is Cool, moved between grunge weight and pop melody within one record. That same pull is also at work here.
Early response has also come from outside the ranking. For example, Inspotmusic has already featured the single. One note for new listeners: Apple Music lists the band as Mess n’ Friends, while Spotify uses Mess.
The Somerset Network Behind Mess and Pretend to Love Me, From Temple Cloud to The Fleece
The community around the song is local, and the credits show it. The band’s bio places Mess in Radstock, on the northern slope of the Mendip Hills. Meanwhile, its YouTube channel calls Bristol home. In any case, both videos were made locally.
Headcase set the pattern. Its official video was shot at Rockaway Park in Temple Cloud. Later, the band thanked Mark for the location and Dave from Rockaway for his continued support. In addition, Dominic Bailey-Clay of Nine Volt Leap Studios produced, mixed and mastered the track. Liam, Christina and Nick Hartery filmed and edited the video.
Melodramatic went further. Brad Carpenter and the team at Tanamera Creative made its music video. Additionally, Norton Hill School in Midsomer Norton and Welton Church lent their buildings. Caroline Joy played the teacher, Abbie Palmer played Miss Fortune and Steph Lewis played Miss Behaved. Friends and family also filled the background as extras.
Up Next at The Fleece and the South West Bill Around Mess
That network now points at a bigger room. The Fleece in Bristol booked Mess for Up Next, an all-day showcase on Sunday 27 September 2026. Altogether, nine bands from across the South West are on the bill, from pop to metal. The running order put Mess on at 15:55, straight after Carlton. After them come Kurbside Villain, Sub Unit 5 of Unit 3, Unforgiven, Otherverse, Third Man, M3G and, finally, Thermions.
The venue carries weight for a local act. The Fleece has hosted live music since 1982 in a listed building that began life as a sheep trading market. Radiohead, Oasis and Amy Winehouse have all played there, and so have Idles, the Bristol punk band.
Above all, that is the community the single speaks to. It suits listeners who follow South West bands from the video shoot to the showcase stage. It also suits anyone who wants a grunge guitar and a pop hook in the same song.
From the BestMusic.News Curator Team: “Our advice is to hear Pretend to Love Me first and Headcase second. The years between them show a band that kept its grunge guitars but reached the hook sooner. That is the progress a catalogue ranking rewards.”
Stream Pretend to Love Me on Spotify and Apple Music. Follow Mess across platforms: their Spotify artist page, Apple Music artist page, YouTube channel, Linktree, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
About The Author
