Messiness – Messiness
Messiness, a psychedelic indie-rock band, makes a highly innovative and creatively daring breakthrough with their self-titled album Messiness, which is released jointly by StoneFree Records in Vienna and Tarla Records in Istanbul. The project is led by Sicilian polymath Max Raffa, who brings his vision to life both in the studio and on stage alongside Rosario Lo Monaco (guitars), Filippo La Marca (keyboards, backing vocals), Giovanni Calella (bass), and Luca Anello (drums and percussion). The album, which was fully recorded on analogue equipment, achieves a warm, organic, retro-futuristic sound that pays tribute to Kula Shaker, Tame Impala, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard while integrating these influences via Raffa’s unique, strange, and often hilarious tales. From the first track, the album establishes its trademark mix of psychedelic textures, groove-driven guitars, and vocals filled with effects that distort, echo, and flow across the music like dreams. “Feature With a Rapper” creates the mood with humour and satire, criticizing the music industry while combining psychedelic rock with an unexpected rap cameo. Raffa describes his failed attempts to cooperate with a rapper—emails ignored, egos fueled, dreams crushed until he turns to using royalty-free samples. The rapper’s bombastic words (“beats in ya face like CAT CAT / drums getta strummin’ PAP PRRR DAT PAP”) contribute to the track’s humorous anarchy, making it both satirical and psychedelic entertainment. With “Previous Life,” the music changes into a more mystical tone. The words are filled with sensory overload and spiritual desire, describing a mythical past existence free of laws, desires, and obligations. The guitars spin in a dreamy haze, while the vocals have a disoriented, ethereal tone that increases the feeling of alienation and transcendence. “Fatally” highlights mental chaos, including anxiety, remorse, and self-criticism, and puts it within a spiral psychedelic groove. The song’s cheerful musical mood contrasts with its deep, self-critical lyrics (“I can’t believe I’ve tossed my life away”), creating a strong battle which highlights the fragility of modern living. The album concludes with “By The Sea,” a dreamy, neon-lit tribute to nostalgia, reunions, and the desire to escape city life. The song reduces the record’s frenzied energy into something gentle and uplifting, envisioning a future “living by the sea… dancing on a cloud… in a world where all’s allowed.” Its peaceful psychedelic wash provides a soft landing following the album’s colorful trip. Throughout Messiness, the guitars take center stage, simultaneously groovy, fascinating, and violently rhythmic, while the voices move in and out like psychedelic ghosts, created by effects that enhance the album’s surreal atmosphere.
photo by Roberta Ferrante
https://messiness.bandcamp.com
