As we enter the month that signals the start of autumn, I’m getting my features and reviews for the month in order—and this one is particularly interesting. It takes me back toward the era of classic hard rock, while also introducing me to a concept album released at the end of 2025 to broad critical acclaim. Armed with my love of bands such as Queen, Kiss, Cinderella and Def Leppard, I found this one hard to resist.
To begin with, over to the press statement:
Press Release
Crazy Party originated in Cagliari from the meeting of five musicians united by a deep passion for classic rock. Crazy Party transform a simple yet ambitious vision into music: bringing the spirit of ’70s and ’80s rock into the present with energy, memorable melodies, and a true live attitude. Between rehearsals and Oniria Studio, the band has developed an identity built on powerful riffs, arena-sized choruses, and lyrics about freedom, struggle, love, and hope.
Their debut album, “Dreamscape Odyssey,” was released on October 31, 2025, through CPT Records, combining previously released singles with new material. Available on all digital platforms as well as on vinyl, CD, and USB Digital Card, the album earned an outstanding 9/10 review from the UK’s Powerplay Rock & Metal Magazine (Issue #285).
In 2026, Crazy Party represented Italy as the only Italian band selected for the Hard & Heavy Final of the Odyssea Band Clash, held during the Odyssea Rock Fusion Festival in Romania. Their participation alongside bands from across Europe further strengthened their international profile and expanded their network within the European rock scene.
The Band
- Luca Piras – Lead vocals
- Federico Pilia – Lead guitar
- Giorgio Marras – Rhythm guitar
- Alessandro Ledda – Bass
- Sara Pintus – Drums
For this interview we were joined by Federico Pilia, lead guitarist and producer, and Luca Piras, lead vocalist and lyricist.
If a casual reader wanted to discover your music, which song would you recommend they listen to first, and why that one?
Federico: It is difficult to choose just one song because Dreamscape Odyssey was conceived as a concept album. Each track tells a different part of the story and continues the events of the previous song. The album also explores different sounds and musical shades from one track to another. However, if I had to choose one, I would recommend “Crazy Party in Town”, because it is the song with which everything began. It represents the starting point of both the story and the entire Crazy Party project.
Let’s begin with “She Calls Me”. Tell us something about the song—it was actually the track I heard first, as it was just there at the top of my Spotify.
Luca Piras: “She Calls Me” is the second track on Dreamscape Odyssey. As the album tells one continuous story, to fully understand this song we first need to begin with “Crazy Party in Town.” In the opening track, the two protagonists meet. They have both experienced very troubled lives, but they are immediately attracted to one another. “She Calls Me” tells the story of the night they spend together. Following that encounter, they decide to begin a journey that will lead them through many difficulties and unexpected events as they search for a place where they can finally build a peaceful and happy life together. For this reason, “She Calls Me” could not have opened the album. The protagonists and their first meeting needed to be introduced through “Crazy Party in Town” before their story could continue.
A question for the guitarist! I read recently a piece by Frank Zappa where he was saying that he approached the live solo as a total free expression—even he never knew where it would go! On the other hand, a guitarist like Brian May will play note-perfect every night. Where are you on the solo? Should it remain true to the original live, or can it go where you feel?
Federico: I love improvising, experimenting and playing around with the guitar, but when we perform live, I care deeply about respecting the original versions of the solos I recorded in the studio. I believe that a guitar solo becomes an essential part of the identity and melody of a song. Therefore, during a concert, I try to reproduce it as faithfully as possible. In that respect, my approach is certainly closer to Brian May’s than to Frank Zappa’s.
“Rain in Paradise” was my favourite track on the album. Is it still one of the band’s favourites, and how do you feel about the song now?
Luca: “Rain in Paradise” is undoubtedly one of the songs to which we feel most attached. One of the main reasons is the presence of an extraordinary guest on keyboards: Maestro Derek Sherinian. He enriched the song with some fantastic arrangements. The comparison with Kiss is therefore particularly fitting, considering that Derek also played with them (RTJ note – on their Revenge tour and Alive III album). After all this time, we can confirm all the positive feelings we had when the track was first completed. The song works extremely well, has tremendous energy and remains one of the most important moments on the album.
Was the album also released physically? Has the vinyl revival been as noticeable in Italy as it has been in the United Kingdom?
Federico: Yes, we released Dreamscape Odyssey in several physical formats: CD, vinyl and a Digital Card USB edition. They are all available through the official website of our record label, CPT Records, at www.cptrecords.com.
The return of vinyl is certainly noticeable in Italy as well. Vinyl has always had something extra: it is not merely a format on which to listen to music, but also something tangible to keep, appreciate and collect. I am personally very attached to vinyl records, particularly those by Queen, whom I have loved and collected since I was a child. For this reason, it was very important to us that our album should also have a genuine physical edition rather than existing exclusively on streaming platforms.
The album cover for “Dreamscape Odyssey” has a deliberately vintage look to it—the bronze look in the sky, older car, the snake, open road. It gives me a look of the American South. Who came up with the cover, and were there different ideas being discussed, or was this always the concept?
Luca: The lyrics were connected from the very beginning to the main story that unites all ten songs on the album. We created the cover ourselves and had a very clear vision from the start. It needed to represent the central elements of the story visually: the journey, the escape, the unexpected dangers—represented, for example, by the snake on the road—and, above all, the search for freedom.
The Mustang is an especially important element. Without revealing too much, we can offer a small spoiler: the car will become a genuine protagonist in the forthcoming Dreamscape Odyssey novel, which will be published soon.
It is a bitter winter night. Your tour van has broken down and you find shelter in an apparently abandoned house. Which book and film would keep you company through the night?
Federico: For the book, I would choose our own Dreamscape Odyssey novel. It would be the perfect opportunity to immerse myself once again in the story we created around the album.
For the film, I would choose School of Rock. I love Jack Black, and I think that film would be the ideal company for facing such a situation with some music and laughter.
Luca: I completely agree with Federico about the book: I would also choose Dreamscape Odyssey. For the film, however, I would choose a classic such as No Country for Old Men or From Dusk Till Dawn. Either of them would be perfect for the mysterious and slightly disturbing atmosphere of that night.
If you could invite any artist, past or present, into your rehearsal room for one day, whom would you choose and why?
Federico: Without any doubt, I would invite Brian May, my greatest musical idol.
The solo on “A Candle’s Night”, the only slow song on the album, was recorded using a Brian May Red Special that I have among my guitars. Spending an entire day in the rehearsal room with him and being able to observe his approach to playing, composing and creating his unmistakable sound would be an extraordinary experience.
Luca: I would definitely invite Freddie Mercury. I do not believe there has ever been anything comparable to his voice, his stage presence and his compositional genius. Even imagining the possibility of spending a day in the rehearsal room with him could cause me serious heart problems!
Finishing off that interesting chat, I’ll conclude things with a few listening highlights and suggestions.
“Crazy Party in Town”
“Crazy Party in Town” does indeed open the album when I go to the album itself rather than the Spotify main page for the band! It instantly hits with the big chorus, melodies and neat riffs, all underpinned with a strong rhythm section and rock-groove-style drums.
“She Calls Me”
I loved the mermaid design on the single cover! For me, this is a great summer driving song—designed for the open road and the windows down. It took me toward the sound of Cinderella, with a strong riff and an upbeat feel. This is one to bounce around to.
“Inside My Mind”
“Inside My Mind” is another early-evening commercial rock radio rocker. The chorus is very sing-along and the hooks work well. It is a track that gives the listener a real feel for the band and their sound, and is very much typical of their musical direction.
“Rain in Paradise”
“Rain in Paradise” I discuss in the interview, and it is my favourite on the album. The keyboards from Derek Sherinian give the track that late-eighties feel—think Kiss in their Crazy Nights era—and the song works well on all levels. I will give a nod toward the drum sound as well, anchoring the beat on this one.
“A Candle’s Night”
“A Candle’s Night” is the album’s ballad, and I add it here for the contrast it provides to much of the album. It gets a mention in the interview for the use of a Brian May Red Special guitar, and the sound is evocative of late nights in sunnier climates. The solo made me think of a falcon flying high—an enjoyable track.
Final thoughts
What I find particularly interesting about “Dreamscape Odyssey” is that Crazy Party clearly aren’t treating the concept album as simply a collection of songs with a story attached. The story runs through the music, the artwork and now into a forthcoming novel, with the Mustang itself apparently getting a starring role along the way. There is something rather wonderfully old-school about that approach.
Musically, the band wear their classic-rock influences openly, but they are not trying to disguise them—and why should they? The riffs, big choruses, melodic solos and occasional nods toward the sound of the late seventies and eighties are very much part of Crazy Party‘s identity.
For anyone who enjoys their rock with melody, guitars, memorable choruses and a little bit of storytelling, “Dreamscape Odyssey” is certainly worth taking for a spin. And if the forthcoming novel expands the world that the album has created, I suspect the journey for Crazy Party is only just beginning.
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The Crazy Party website is here.
Stream music from Crazy Party here.
By Anna-Louise Burgess
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