Psychedelic-tinged indie rockers Messiness present 'Feature With a Rapper', following their March debut single 'Previous Life'. This is the second taste of the band's first album, slated for release later this year via Tarla Records and StoneFree Records. Driven by a ferocious baritone sax riff, this is an electrifying fusion of hard psych rock and Mediterranean vibes, laced with a chaotic arsenal of folk instruments, flower-punk relics and aggressive old-school rap.

What starts as a tongue-in-cheek tale of an artist chasing industry clout unravels into a biting critique of creative legitimacy in the digital age. The track’s high-energy delivery mirrors the desperation of an independent musician, who is struggling to navigate a world where access trumps talent, and credibility is a commodity. Playful yet scathing, its explosive sound and razor-sharp irony make it both a wild ride and a ruthless industry takedown.

Revolving around Sicilian singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, writer and sociologist Max Raffa, Messiness is the welcome result of his remarkable journey, carved through Europe’s cultural landscapes, from sun-bleached Balearic shores to British harbour towns, as Raffa performed in various rock’n’roll bands while conducting the ethnographic research that ultimately shaped his musical vision. Finally landing in Milan’s shadowy outskirts - in the gritty underbelly of Italy’s fashion capital.

Messiness also involves Rosario Lo Monaco on guitars, Filippo La Marca on keyboards, Giovanni Calella on bass guitar, and Luca Anello on drums. Creating accessible, vibrant feel-good indie rock with Britpop leanings, Messiness synthesizes elements of art pop, psychedelic and space rock, their harmonic styles amalgamating the best of British rock, Britpop and Southern European flavours.

In its absurdist circularity, 'Feature with a Rapper' transcends its narrative of industry frustration and becomes a broader indictment of neoliberal cultural economies, where creative legitimacy is both a commodity and a privilege.

"The industry, as depicted here, is a closed circuit, where legitimacy is not earned through talent alone but through prior recognition. This dilemma is exacerbated by the anonymous and decentralized nature of digital platforms; the question “Who are you?” is not simply an expression of unfamiliarity but an existential challenge to artistic worth. In an era where visibility is currency, those without prior capital are functionally non-existent," says Max Raffa.

The protagonist’s journey—from naively seeking validation through established figures to cynically circumventing the process through royalty-free loopholes—mirrors the contemporary artist’s existential dilemma: to play by the rules is to remain invisible, but to cheat the system is to risk exposure as inauthentic. Messiness delivers this critique not with heavy-handed indignation but with a biting, self-aware irony that makes the song as humorous as it is damning. This is ultimately a manifesto of disillusionment—an acknowledgment that, in an industry where credibility is dictated by association, authenticity itself becomes a construct.

As of May 9, 'Feature With a Rapper' is available from fine online music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and directly from the artist via Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Words & Music by Massimiliano Raffa
Produced by Ivan A. Rossi & Massimiliano Raffa
Recorded in Milan by Ivan A. Rossi (at 8brr.rec Studio), Lorenzo Di Blasi (at Sartoria 57 Studio) &
Giovanni Calella (at Diabolicus Studio)
Edited, mixed & mastered by Ivan A. Rossi at 8brr.rec Studio
Massimiliano Raffa – vocals, guitars, Mellotron, synthesizers, sound FX, oud, shawm
Rosario Lo Monaco – guitars
Giovanni Calella – bass
Filippo La Marca – keyboards
Luca Anello – drums & percussion
Beppe Scardino – baritone saxophone
Lucci – Additional vocals.
Cover artwork by Güneş Akyürek
Released by Tarla Records and StoneFree Records
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

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Psychedelic-tinged indie rockers Messiness present their debut single 'Previous Life' - an upbeat sonic reflection on alienation, sensory excess, and the paradox of nostalgia. At its heart, the song articulates an existential crisis in which the self seeks refuge in an imagined past that is not so much remembered as it is constructed. This is the first taste of the band's first album, slated for release later this year via Tarla Records and StoneFree Records. 'Previous Life' imbues psychedelic indie rock with a raw, rebellious exploration of life.

Revolving around Sicilian singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, writer and sociologist Max Raffa, Messiness is the welcome result of his remarkable journey, carved through Europe’s cultural landscapes, from sun-bleached Balearic shores to British harbour towns, as Raffa performed in various rock’n’roll bands while conducting the ethnographic research that ultimately shaped his musical vision. Finally landing in Milan’s shadowy outskirts - in the gritty underbelly of Italy’s fashion capital - Raffa assembled a proper motley crew: Rosario Lo Monaco wielding guitars, Filippo La Marca manning the keys, Giovanni Calella thumping the bass, and Luca Anello keeping the beat.

"This “Previous Life” is not a site of historical retrieval but a metaphysical counterpoint to the suffocating present—a liminal space where agency dissolves, aspirations are rendered obsolete, and structure itself is negated. The song thus stages a dialectic between presence and absence, reality and myth, in which the very act of longing for another life exposes the impossibility of its attainment," explains Max Raffa.

"'Previous Life' is not merely a reflection on nostalgia; it is an interrogation of nostalgia’s internal contradictions. The song exposes the futility of retreating into an imagined past, revealing that such a past is, by definition, uninhabitable. The impulse to escape is simultaneously an acknowledgment of entrapment—the longing for a life beyond structure, obligation, and meaning ultimately leads not to liberation but to negation."

Messiness creates accessible, vibrant feel-good indie rock with Britpop leanings. Incorporating elements of art pop, psychedelic and space rock elements, their harmonic styles bring Canterbury scene experimentation together with Southern European flavours, drawing from both traditional and urban soundscapes.

In 'Previous Life', the repetition of “I’m making plans for my previous life” serves as both a mantra and a lament. The author clings to the idea of a different, freer existence, but the sheer act of making plans—a forward-looking action—ironically contradicts the notion of a previous life. Max Raffa notes, "This contradiction reinforces the song’s central theme: the longing for a life beyond structure, obligation, and meaning ultimately leads not to liberation but to negation; the search for meaning often leads to its undoing, and the past we construct as a refuge is, in the end, an illusion."

As of March 14, 'Previous Life' will be available from fine online music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and directly from the artist via Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Words & music by Massimiliano Raffa
Produced by Ivan A. Rossi & Massimiliano Raffa
Recorded in Milan by Ivan A. Rossi (at 8brr.rec Studio), Lorenzo Di Blasi (at Sartoria 57 Studio) &
Giovanni Calella (at Diabolicus Studio)
Edited, mixed & mastered by Ivan A. Rossi at 8brr.rec Studio
Massimiliano Raffa – vocals, guitars, keyboards, sound FX
Rosario Lo Monaco – guitars
Giovanni Calella – bass
Filippo La Marca – keyboards
Luca Anello – drums
Single cover artwork by Güneş Akyürek
Released by Tarla Records and StoneFree Records
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

Psychedelic-indie rock outfit Messiness shares infectious 'Feature With A Rapper' single

Messiness shares indie rock gem 'Previous Life', a psychedelic reconstruction of the past