Today Raffaella releases LIVE, RAFF, LOVE (Act II), along with a video for the hyperpop banger “Polly Pocket,” via Mom + Pop. Listen/watch “Polly Pocket” produced by Jake Luppen (of Hippo Campus) and Caleb Hinz HERE, and listen to LIVE, RAFF, LOVE (Act II)  HERE.

While the beats on “Polly Pocket” are viciously upbeat, the song was written in reaction to the reversal of Roe v. Wade. The thought of being dismissed as biological property – a body surrounding an IUD under the threat of becoming pregnant – sparked a rage in Raffaella that made her wonder what the best way to talk about these necessary topics of conversation. Seemingly incongruous with the hits-you-like-a-Sour-Patch-Kid pop production on the song, the subject matter’s addressed with levity and accessibility, while Raffaella sings “If you want me to keep it, maybe you should carry it,” coyly over an onslaught of percussion.

Watch “Polly Pocket” HERE

Of the song and video, Raffaella says: “’Polly Pocket’ is a pop song about reproductive rights. It is also an ode to my I.U.D. I love when people laugh in horror movies – this is my version of that. It’s still scary but at least you can kind of dance and talk about it out loud without feeling weighed down.”

Of the record, Raffaella says, “I split Live, Raff, Love into two acts, like a play, so as to create something 3-dimensional, something that can stand in the light (Act I) and create a shadow (Act II). Despite the year and a half that separates their releases, these two EPs are in conversation with one another. Every song in Act I has a foil in Act II, which, like a shadow, is gonna be a little bit bigger and darker… listening back, it sounds like each song found its way to adulthood during intermission.”

Her breakthrough single “Sororicide” was a #1 hit on Spotify’s Viral 50 US; Paper, Nylon, Consequence, and more are fans of her attention to detail, nostalgia-inducing sound, and authenticity. You may also know Raffaella from her collaborative effort with Samia, Ryann, and Sara L’abriola as Peach Fuzz, with praise from Stereogum, Consequence, i-D, Brooklyn Vegan, and more. Having just wrapped a tour with Misterwives and Bishop Briggs and previously sharing stages with Samia, Liz Phair and more, Raffaella brings her story to the forefront on her first-ever headline tour titled Live, Raff, LIVE! next month.

Raffaella’s debut project LIVE, RAFF, LOVE (Act I)  (co-written and produced by Jake Luppen of Hippo Campus), narrates with a specificity so intense you immediately absorb the cotton candy and cigarette smoke, drunken kisses and stoned malaise. Following the shape of a play, LIVE, RAFF, LOVE’s  (Act II)  is the heavier foil, establishing Raffaella as one of pop’s sharpest observers of human behavior.