ABOUT LATE AGAIN
Late Again is the dream-pop project of the Brazilian Brooklyn-based musician and multimedia artist Rafael Melo.
Born and raised on the coast of São Paulo, Rafael found in New York City a home for his music. With his 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 dream pop.
“LATE AGAIN BLURS THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN POP AND ALTERNATIVE IN A WAY THAT'S BOTH CHARMING AND VULNERABLE” - Billboard
Late Again has collaborated with Brazilian composer Arthur Verocai (BADBADNOTGOOD, Hiatus Kaiyote, Gal Costa), producer Heal Mura (Aldo, The Band), and visual artist Rollinos (Tame Impala, Toro y Moi, Metronomy). With a background in visual arts that ranges from award-winning films to videogames, Late Again's work tries to expand the boundaries of his music beyond the sound itself, in an effort to tell his stories in whichever medium it takes.
“A DASHING BLEND OF DREAM POP WITH SOUNDS FROM HIS COUNTRY” - Galore
Since his debut in April 2024, Late Again has been steadily building momentum both locally and internationally, drawing over 1 million unique listeners on Spotify, hitting the SubModern charts, and packing shows on the East Coast.
Drawing inspiration from artists ranging from Gorillaz to Caetano Veloso, or Tame Impala to Ryuichi Sakamoto, Late Again sits comfortably alongside dream-pop contemporaries such as Mac DeMarco, Still Woozy, The Marias, and Men I Trust.
“TURNS THE TEXTURES OF SAND-SHIFTING JAZZ FROM RIO INTO AN ELECTRONICALLY ALIVE CORNER OF BROOKLYN” - Jazztimes
After releasing Clearly It's All Staged in September 2025, Rafael is currently working on Late Again's debut album.
CLEARLY IT'S ALL STAGED
Released in September 2025, Late Again's latest EP solidifies his work and sonic universe and lays the foundation for his upcoming debut album.
Across its six tracks, the project explores longing, dislocation, and self-awareness. Navigating rejection and belonging in all their forms—romantic, platonic, and professional—through a hazy blend of wit, ethereal guitars, groovy beats, haunting melodies, jazz flourishes, and warm vocal harmonies. Recorded in his Greenpoint bedroom and co-produced by Heal Mura, the EP features contributions from Ella Walton, Nathan Dies, and saxophonist Jared Yee.
Clearly It's All Staged hit #47 @ SubModern Albums Chart, and #24 on the NACC Radio, with key pickups like Stereogum, Remezcla, Earmilk, and Jazz Times. The EP has reached 200k listeners on Spotify in its first month.
Late Again now sets off to a few shows around the US, as he prepares the production for his debut album “Does The World Really Need This?”, aimed to be released in 2026.
2025 TOUR
In early 2025, Late Again embarked on his debut tour, performing in cities including Philadelphia, New York, DC, Boston, Montreal, and Toronto.
With sold-out shows in Brooklyn (The Sultan Room) and DC (Comet Ping Pong), Late Again is creating a solid base on the East Coast, where he's currently based. The next step is to expand his audience to the West Coast and Europe.
For the live show, the team developed a custom, self-sufficient lighting rig and visual setup that travels with the artist. At the core of Late Again’s performance is the belief that visuals are as important as any instrument on stage. With Rafael’s background in multimedia art, lighting becomes a key tool, designed to be an integral part of the show and to help the audience connect with each song on a new level, no matter how big the stage is.
On stage, Late Again sings while playing live guitar and synth, orchestrating both sound and light in a performance that’s as visually captivating as it is musically immersive.