Brazilian-born, Los Angeles–based multidisciplinary artist Raphael Rosalen, known artistically as Tutafarel (pronounced [ˌtuː.tɑː.fəˈrɛl]) is inviting listeners deeper into his world with his new single, “PINEAPPLE DIESEL.” The track offers the latest glimpse into his upcoming debut album, Monte Casanova, due out December 5 — a record that promises to blend sensuality, self-reflection, and pop hedonism in equal measure.
“‘PINEAPPLE DIESEL’ is that after-the-club track: flirty, fierce, smooth, but laid-back. It’s what you play with the windows down on the way to the afters, when the city lights blur and you’re just in it,” Rosalen shares. “The name came from a vape a guy left at my place once; it said Pineapple Diesel on it. I saw it and just immediately thought: song title.”
Seductive, hypnotic, and moody, “PINEAPPLE DIESEL” distills the rush of late-night city life into a sleek, pulsing pop moment inspired by Rosalen’s time in New York. It’s also a window into Monte Casanova’s larger sonic world — one defined by lush production, emotional complexity, and a playful edge.
While Tutafarel had been quietly building the Monte Casanova universe for some time, the project crystallized in 2025 after a road accident left Rosalen recovering for several months. Immersed in 90s action movies, Greek tragedies, and the legend of Giacomo Casanova, he began shaping a world that could hold both the chaos and beauty of modern life.
Drawing from a spectrum of influences — from Michael Jackson, Brockhampton, KAIRO, and Justin Bieber to PinkPantheress and Addison Rae — Tutafarel merges masculine pop confidence with soft, instinctive vulnerability. Notably, the entire album was self-produced in GarageBand, giving it a raw, deeply personal edge.
“There’s sex, drugs, and rock & roll, sure,” Tutafarel explains, “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.”
More than an album, Monte Casanova serves as the foundation for a multimedia project spanning music, literature, and digital storytelling. Alongside the record, Tutafarel will release a book of the same name and a serialized TikTok video series that expand the story world.
Set in a near-future, crumbling Los Angeles ruled by media spectacle — think Succession meets Romeo & Juliet — the book unfolds as a queer two-act tragedy. It follows Monte, a fallen icon born into power, as he navigates intimacy, betrayal, and the politics of influence. Told through a chorus of journalists, influencers, and digital onlookers, it paints a sharp portrait of identity, power, and performance in the digital age — laying the emotional groundwork for the album’s themes.
Together, the album, book, and video series form an interconnected creative universe — a bold experiment in narrative pop that blurs the lines between sound, story, and screen.
