THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On And On is the third studio album from the post-genre power trio Mssv. It features new songs that were written by Mike Baggetta before their 58-show 2023 U.S. tour and performed every night, then recorded and produced by Chris Schlarb at Big Ego Studio in Long Beach immediately after.
The digital version of the album features eight separate, boundary-pushing tracks, while the limited-edition vinyl features these pieces joined into two continuous side-long movements by six additional band-improvised interludes. These improvised instrumentals had their parts recorded separately by each member, then edited down, recombined and arranged by Baggetta. They serve as an important connective tissue between the songs on each side, turning On And On into an exciting and trippy psychedelic fever dream of a concept album that really brings out the core of its story.
At its heart it is an album where all the works combine to create an endless episodic journey through the temporal and seemingly fleeting nature of society, personality, music, and life and death on Earth, only to realize that all of these are also endlessly repeating. The subject matter here, while being universally relatable, is rife with personal references, stories of his and the band’s friends and relationships, and one song — Despair & Hilarity — includes lyrics written by one of Baggetta’s most important musical collaborators, Steve Gigante (Dark Inside The Sun, W-S Burn, 7 Year Rabbit Cycle).
Continuing to explore the seemingly endless depths of Stephen Hodges’ and Mike Watt’s musicianship and skill over their many tours and albums in Mssv has generated an identifiable sound in Baggetta’s songwriting for the band. But the trust that has formed between them, which comes from long-running musical partnerships, has also made it possible for Mssv to explore more interesting ways to incorporate improvised music into the lives of their songs, innovating their music in new ways while still keeping the fearless nature of each musician and this band fully intact. On And On skillfully combines all of these elements into a newly evolved lens for the music of Mssv, deftly displayed in this album as a high-concept love letter to everyday life.”
