Late Again has today released his new single and video titled ‘All My Exes Moved to the Countryside’, from his upcoming EP ‘I Dreamt I Was Awake’, dropping in September.
Rafael Melo clearly understands that the best revenge is not posting cryptic Instagram stories at two in the morning. Under the Late Again moniker, he turns emotional wreckage into shimmering dream pop that smiles while quietly twisting the knife. ‘All My Exes Moved to the Countryside’ arrives with a music video that embraces its wonderfully absurd premise while refusing to treat the audience like they need every joke explained. Imagine that. A music video with confidence.
Visually, the clip leans into a playful aesthetic that feels handmade in all the right ways without looking like it emptied a thrift store for the sake of irony. Every frame carries a personality that matches the song’s bittersweet wit. The dreamlike presentation gives the story room to breathe while the tongue in cheek humor keeps everything from collapsing into self important indie theater. Plenty of artists mistake quirky for interesting. Late Again actually earns it.
The song itself glides on lush textures and understated hooks that sneak into your brain long after the video ends. Melo has a knack for making melancholy feel strangely comforting, wrapping emotional honesty inside melodies that never beg for attention. His Brazilian roots and New York sensibilities quietly collide throughout the arrangement, creating a sound that feels familiar without ever sounding borrowed. That balance is harder to pull off than many bands would like to admit.
What really elevates the video is its ability to complement the music instead of competing with it. Every visual decision reinforces the emotional punch without screaming for applause. The humor lands because it trusts the audience to keep up, and the cinematic touches give the whole production a polish that feels earned rather than expensive. It is refreshing to watch an artist who knows exactly what kind of world he wants to build and then actually commits to it.
Late Again has been building impressive momentum over the past couple of years, and this release feels like another confident step forward instead of a calculated attempt to chase algorithms or trends. ‘All My Exes Moved to the Countryside’ is clever without becoming smug, stylish without becoming shallow, and heartfelt without drowning in self pity. Indie pop could use a lot more artists willing to laugh at heartbreak while still respecting it, because Late Again makes that balancing act look almost unfairly easy.
Featured image by Henrique Barreto.
About ‘I Dreamt I Was Awake’
The six-track EP represents Late Again’s most ambitious work to date—a preamble to his debut album coming in 2027. The EP showcases a confidence shift and deepened observational writing style, with each track exploring the space where lucidity and self-delusion coexist. Sonically nostalgic and welcoming without losing nuanced edge, ‘I Dreamt I Was Awake’ crafts a world defined by Late Again’s genre melding approach and ironic yet compassionate lyricism.
Recorded at Studio G (Brooklyn) and Evil Twin (São Paulo), the EP features drums from Thiago Dom (Kimbra, Duda Beat), bass lines from John Lisi (Twin Brother, John Roseboro), engineering from Nelson Espinal (Mdou Moctar, YHWH Nailgun, Sessa), and mixing from Heal Mura, his long-term Brazilian musical collaborator.
The visual world is central to the new EP, materialized by a series of three music videos produced under the visual direction of Gabriel Rollinos (Tame Impala, Toro y Moi, Metronomy).
‘I Dreamt I Was Awake’ Tracklist
- To Stop The Time
- If You Have A Bridge (I’m Buying)
- Crazy or Stupid
- My Sore Throat
- All My Exes Moved to the Countryside
- Every Time I Take Sudafed
About Late Again
Late Again is the dream-pop project of multimedia artist Rafael Melo. Born and raised on the shores of São Paulo, Rafael found in New York City a home for his music. With a distinct background, Late Again combines the raw irony of the big city with the intimate textures of his home country to create a unique blend of genre-melding pop.
Since his debut in April 2024, Late Again has been steadily building momentum, with his three EPs reaching over 2 million listeners on Spotify, hitting the SubModern charts, and packing shows on the East Coast. His career spans award-winning films and best-selling indie video games, with collaborations ranging from Brazilian jazz maestro Arthur Verocai (Badbadnotgood, MF Doom, Gal Costa) to experimental visual artist Gabriel Rollinos (Tame Impala, Toro y Moi, Metronomy).