Raffaella - “Bardot”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 9

Pairs Well With…Claud, Lana Del Rey, Lorde

Raffaella’s core sound is a combination of classic pop melodies and dreamy bedroom songwriting, a sweet melancholy accenting the songs of her 2019 debut EP Ballerina. Hazy sound layers make an otherwise bouncy, joyful tone go down easy. Her overall presentation is soft, but Ballerina’s lyrics are often biting - youthful in its wordplay, but based in traditions that go back decades when it comes to rock/pop balladry. Raffaella’s music is consistent in its understated, purposeful approach, minimal song-crafting with a tight focus on melody from front to back. Electronic pop instrumentation accompanies Raffaella’s songs, but they could all be boiled down to an acoustic and a voice and still be as striking. It’s a sign of an artist that doesn’t tend to miss, including on her most recent single “Bardot”, one that adds some tropicalia rhythms for her most swinging effort to date. (Kevin McStravick)