Tutafarel Releases ‘American Nightmare’
Tutafarel, (pronounced [ˌtuː.tɑː.fəˈrɛl]), the creative alias of Brazilian-born and Los Angeles-based multidisicplinary artist Raphael Rosalen, is sharing the announcement of his debut album, Monte Casanova, a multimedia exploration of escape, survival, and unapologetic identity. The project launches with its lead single, “AMERICAN NIGHTMARE,” a fierce and hypnotic track that merges hyper-pop energy with early 2000s club nostalgia.
Though Tutafarel had been quietly building the world of Monte Casanova for some time, the LP truly took off in 2025 after a road accident left him recovering in bed for several months. Immersed in 90s action movies, Greek tragedies, and the legend of Giacomo Casanova, he began piecing together a world that could hold both the chaos and the beauty of modern everyday life. Sonically, he pulled from a wide range of male pop, turning to artists like Michael Jackson, Brockhampton, KAIRO, and Justin Bieber, pairing it with softer, more playful influences like PinkPantheress and Addison Rae. Notably, the entire LP was self-produced by Tutafarel in GarageBand, giving the record an instinctive, deeply personal edge.
On the track Tutafarel shares, “This one’s pure early-2000s dance pop. It’s fierce, sexy, and about locking eyes with someone you like. I was deep into 90’s action movies when I wrote it, and I started my own little Letterboxd list with “homosocial action movies” just for fun. I ended up in a Hugh Jackman rabbit hole and rewatched his scene with Iceman in X-Men 2, where he blows on a beer bottle for Wolverine. It’s so campy and perfect. Toward the end of the track, there’s a beer-bottle-opening sound — my little wink to that moment.”
The single also arrives alongside a seductive, playful, and cinematically shot video. “I wanted to explore how desire and danger overlap,” Tutafarel says. “The video is a hazy locker-room daydream. I wanted to bottle that mix of fun, tension, and nostalgia, the way flirting can feel both exciting and a little dangerous.”
While “AMERICAN NIGHTMARE” kicks off the era with bold energy, the heart of Monte Casanova lies in finding meaning — and joy — in the chaos.
As Tutafarel explains, “There’s sex, drugs, and rock & roll, sure, but underneath it’s about accepting imperfection: yours, mine, everyone’s. We live in a culture obsessed with surface, so opening up the messy parts can feel wrong sometimes. This record says forget that. It’s okay to dance through it, stay home and cuddle to a black-and-white-movie, or just be. Monte Casanova is a moment of escape—a big, cathartic sigh—but dressed in pop.”
Photo Credit: Madison McLaughlin