Songfacts®:

• "I Keep On Messing It Up" finds Only The Poets frontman Tommy Longhurst turning the spotlight on himself. The song is an unflinching look at self-destructive behavior, examining the frustrating habit of repeating the same mistakes even when you can see them coming from a mile away.
  
  "The clue is in the title; there's a bit of self-sabotage going on," Longhurst explained.
  
  Following a breakup, he found himself reflecting on recurring cycles in both his love life and his day-to-day choices. "I was just looking back on how I operate, and then I started delving into not just my relationships, but my whole life."
• The title is strikingly direct. There's no poetic disguise or clever metaphor to hide behind, just a plainspoken admission that would probably make a terrible personal slogan. Longhurst recalled arriving at the studio knowing he needed to confront those feelings head-on. "I went into the studio that day and needed to pull it out of me. It wasn't an easy song to write, it's not nice to admit that you keep messing things up."
• "I Keep On Messing It Up" was released on February 26, 2025, as the lead single from Only The Poets' debut album, And I'd Do It Again. The band chose it to open the campaign specifically because of the contrast between its upbeat sonic feel and its darker lyrical honesty.
  
  "In a way, the whole record is the most honest and vulnerable music we've ever made, but that song was a really poignant moment in writing the album," Longhurst told The Sun. "It's all about admitting to yourself that you've made mistakes and seeing the patterns in yourself that you don't want to see. I had been sitting with lots of anxieties at the time, but then I realized the cycles of my own behavior and emotions."
• The song's themes connect to the wider emotional journey explored throughout And I'd Do It Again. Longhurst told Official Charts that the album was heavily influenced by his first experience ending a serious relationship, a breakup he described as feeling like grief. "I Keep On Messing It Up" is essentially three minutes of that realization set to music.
• Longhurst wrote the song with Australian songwriter Janeva, who contributed to multiple tracks on the album, and songwriter-producer Phil Cook, whose credits include Lewis Capaldi's "One" and Liam Payne's "All I Want (for Christmas)."
  
  Cook also co-produced the track alongside Only The Poets drummer Marcus Yates, guitarist Clem Cherry, and recording engineer DanDlion.
• Fans heard the song before its official release when Only The Poets debuted it at their sold-out Experience The Future show at London's Scala on February 17, 2025. It was one of eight new songs unveiled during the performance, which offered an early glimpse of the band's next chapter.
• Released on January 30, 2026, And I'd Do It Again was Only the Poets' commercial breakthrough, reaching #9 in the UK while also charting across Europe, including Top 10 placings in Belgium and Germany.
  
  To celebrate the album's arrival, the band played a sold-out headline show at London's O2 Academy Brixton on February 2, 2026. Tickets were just £1, with an additional £1 from each ticket donated to The LIVE Trust.