RAFFAELLA - NASA’S FAKE

Manhattan's Raffaella explores the ridiculous madness of modern living on "Nasa's Fake"!

To quote Blur, "Modern life is rubbish." Which is to say, there are giant mounds of indistinguishable, incomprehensible viewpoints to sort through. There's bound to be some gold, platinum, silver, a holy grail or two. There's even more soiled diapers, dead raccoons, and a geologic layer of tabloid headlines to sort through.

In 2019, postmodernism has firmly taken hold. In an era of "fake news," where facts are weighed against every passing opinion as if they were absolutely equal, it's nearly impossible to separate fiction from hard, concrete reality. The difference is, one exists and one doesn't.

On her newest single, Manhattan electro singer/songwriter Raffaella explores a wide range of these ridiculous assumptions over plucky synth strings and a hypnotic beat. "I just found out that my chiropractor thinks N.A.S.A.'s fake," she intones in a melodic sing-song. That's just the beginning of a very frustrating day, as Raffaella dishes on what it's like navigating NYC as a young person.

RAFFAELLA - NASA’S FAKE

It's more than any sane mind can take. "Jesus Christ, gimme a break/Is there a pill I can take?"

We wish. We wish. But if Raffaella had numbed out to this avalanche of petty annoyances, we wouldn't have this insanely infectious electro-pop banger to take comfort in. 

"N.A.S.A.'s Fake" is like a prescription for all of us, a woozy, head-nodding, catchy indie electronic club banger to vent and spew our catharsis. Because it really is more than any heart or mind can bear. And the avalanche only seems to grow with each passing day.

Raffaella has recently signed to indie label Mom + Pop, home of other rising indie stars like Courtney Barnett, Sunflower Bean, and Tash Sultana. It's a suitable home for Raffaella, which hopefully should push her towards a receptive audience. We need more socially-conscious indie pop music like this, especially with a catchy melodic sensibility like this.

Well, at least it should inspire Raffaella to keep doling out crazy good songs like "N.A.S.A.'s Fake." We Are: The Guard can't wait to hear what she has to say as we edge forward towards a new election cycle.

J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.