Dumbo Gets Mad is a psychedelic pop project founded in 2011 by Emiliano songwriter, producer, and sound designer Luca Bergomi.
The project’s name is inspired by Pink Elephants on Parade, one of the most surreal and psychedelic sequences from Disney’s Dumbo (1941), symbolizing the childlike spirit confronted with absurdity and disorientation.
Originally conceived as a duo with Carlotta Menozzi, the project emerged from Bergomi’s free artistic vision, blending styles, voices, languages, and genres in an unpredictable and playful way, always filtered through his distinctive aesthetic sensibility.
Dumbo Gets Mad debuted in Los Angeles with the album Elephants at the Door, immediately attracting an international following. The first single, Plumy Tale, was selected by critic Joe Tangari among Pitchfork’s Top 50 songs of 2011, while Marmalade Kids was chosen by NPR as “Song of the Day.”
The second album, Quantum Leap (2013), expanded the project’s psychedelic identity into a true sonic jam session, with the track Indian Food strengthening its presence on the American music scene.
Released in 2015, Thank You Neil — inspired by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson — explored more soulful textures. Recorded entirely live, the album showcased a more elegant and minimalist production style and once again received widespread international critical acclaim.
In 2019, the French label Nice Guys released the single Makes You Fly, anticipating the album Things Are Random And Time Is Speeding Up (2021), followed by tours across North America and Mexico.
In 2021, Dumbo Gets Mad collaborated with Marracash on the production of the album Noi, Loro, Gli Altri, also contributing an eponymous skit.
The project has performed more than 100 concerts across Europe and the Americas, appearing at major international festivals such as Hypnosis Festival in Mexico City, South by Southwest and Levitation Festival in Texas, Treefort Music Festival in Idaho, and Manchester Psych Fest in the UK. The band has also played in renowned venues including Babys All Right in New York, Lodge Room in Los Angeles, Empty Bottle in Chicago, Foro Indie Rocks in Mexico City, and Supersonic in Paris.
In Italy, Dumbo Gets Mad has appeared at leading national festivals and performed on the main stage of the MI AMI Festival in 2022.
In April 2025, the project performed in Asia for the first time, with concerts in Tokyo and Taipei.
Its live performances are known for their sonic and visual intensity, featuring meticulously crafted sets, layered arrangements, and a psychedelic aesthetic that has always defined the project.
In 2025, Dumbo Gets Mad signed with the historic independent Italian label Carosello Records for the development of its fifth studio album, preceded by the single Pariah. With this new work, the artist takes on the role of observer rather than narrator, collecting impressions, sensations, and fragments of reality shaped during years of writing. The album takes the symbolic form of an egg — an image representing both the birth of life and its fragility.