Psychedelic-laced indie rockers MESSINESS present the 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. The band’s debut album will be released later this year via Tarla Records and StoneFree Records. ‘Previous Life’ imbues psychedelic 60s-flavoured indie rock with a raw, rebellious exploration of life.
Based in the gritty underbelly of Italy’s fashion capital, Milan, Messiness revolves around Sicilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist MAX RAFFA. Messiness is the welcome result of his remarkable journey, carved through Europe’s cultural landscapes, from sun-bleached Balearic shores to British harbor towns, as Raffa performed in various rock ’n’ roll bands while conducting the ethnographic research that ultimately shaped his musical vision.
Raffa has 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. 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.
Keep your mind open.
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[Thanks to Shauna at Shameless Promotion PR.]
