Messiness ○ Feature With A Rapper

  From CANADA 

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.

"This bowls the listener over with charm and confidence, musical smarts, and is effortlessly cool. Sonic charisma.. a message to break away from conformity and structure" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

"Brilliant smorgasbord of Balaeric psychedelic pop, swaggering rap verses and Britpop-tinged indie rock guitars – making for a wild, yet wonderfully cohesive ride... dig deeper and you'll find art pop flourishes, hazy psychedelic textures, and even a touch of space rock drifting in the atmosphere" ~ Spill Magazine

"Elements of Britpop groove and indie riffery at work, but the sort that echoes with no small amount of sixties sass... a kaleidoscopic, psychedelic feel... a lysergic, space rock out-of-body experience that is dreamily calming, whilst at the same time being wonderfully quirky" ~ Dancing About Architecture

Messiness

Feature With A Rapper

A razor-sharp ironic wild ride through
a ruthless music industry takedown.
Released via Tarla Records / StoneFree Records

9 May 2025

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

Keep up with Messiness
'Previous Life' single | Bandcamp | Facebook 
 Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music

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