Maneskin: Rush track by track review

The Eurovision song contest has always produced memorable names and performances but in recent years it would appear that it is a credible platform for launching a career. Mostly names were remembered for the wrong reasons, corny songs and terrible performances but artists such as Sam Ryder, Dadi Freyer have shown that virality and the show can propel an artist's trajectory.

Maneskin are perhaps the prime example of that, as they have been nominated for multiple awards and played numerous festivals. In fact, they seem to have pulled off the impossible and become one of the coolest bands around right now. We thought we'd take a look into their new album Rush! and see if it lived up to the hype.

 

Own My Mind

Typically bombastic, it sees us immediately overwhelmed by riffs. Vocalist Damiano is immediately in an almost preacher-like tangent, so intense that he might as well have self-immolated. The bass of Victoria De Angelis is a key feature of all their songs and it's amped right up in the mix. 

 

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Gossip (feat Tom Morello)

It's hard to think of a more blatant clone of classic rock and roll in popular music in recent years, Maneskin embodies all the hallmarks of the genre's longest traditions. This is somehow a step up of heaviness from the last track, with various licks fighting for space and prominence within the track. This band will shred until it kills them.

 

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Timezone

There's no doubt that Damiano is a ringmaster kind of vocalist, dictating all parts of the song. You get blown away by the riffs when they eventually kick in. Damiano finds himself distraught at the pains of a long-distance relationship, first-world problems, eh? There's plenty of mentioning of f*cking, Maneskin love embracing the most sultry parts of their personalities.

 

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Bla Bla Bla

A revenge song that sees increasing levels of pettiness, this isn't going to get a literature prize anytime soon. Not like you should expect lyrical genius from Maneskin, their charm is all in the excitement, passion and unfiltered sexuality that they elicit. Another stomping rager is on the cards here.

 

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Baby Said

One of the strongest choruses' to date, it is pure stadium bait with its immediately anthemic nature. The guitars shoot up like spouts of lava, you can almost feel the band winking at you as they get fully into their performance. 

 

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Gasoline

Greeted by a brittle bass line, Damiano sings of a character who has blood on their hands. They become the force opposing them, in a story that seems David and Goliath-like, with flashes of revolution throughout. Think if Maneskin soundtracked Les Mis. With the number of heavy bangers, it must be hard for the to organise these songs into a cohesive setlist. 

 

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Feel

"Don't need a lover, you need an animal" Damiano declares. There's the odd mention of drugs as he describes that he's going to make someone feel something they've never felt before. Sex is a big part of the Maneskin lyrical arsenal. 

 

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Don't Wanna Sleep

Essentially you can describe most of the songs so far as around the three-minute mark, packed to the brim with high-pitched guitars and straight in your face. 'Don't Wanna Feel' is no different, as we go on another rollercoaster of guitar sounds and hear more about making love.

 

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Kool Kids

We switch vocalists here and we're given a bit of a new dimension, it almost feels like a bit of an IDLES track that was much, much heavier. They're determined to emphasise that they're just "music freaks" not interested in genre definition. It feels completely raw in its execution.

 

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If Not For You

 

The slowest song to date, 'It's Not For You' is more of a ballad. A breather from their usual service, it pays tribute to a partner in crime, the person who gets you through the day. We get a string section backing too, it's all very, "we need to put an emotional song in there somewhere".

 

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Read Your Diary

And we're back into the debauchery-stained streets of rock music. One of their most pleasing rhythmic progressions to date, the song flows along nicely. It feels like we've been put into a thriller all of a sudden.

 

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Mark Chapman

Not named after the wholesome Match Of The Day 2 presenter, it is the name of the man who murdered John Lennon. It sees the band return to their native tongue of Italian, which was the language chosen for most of their early songs before their Eurovision success. It has an incredibly high BPM.

 

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LA Fine

This song initially started off as a dance music song and you can tell as they retain the high BPM from the last track. Raging in Italian, they discuss societal issues within their right-wing-leaning country which is at odds with their own politics. 

 

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Il Dono Della Vita

This section of the album is dedicated to their Italian fans who were key to their early success. The band are determined not to lose sight of their roots as they have become globally successful. One of the most emotive uses of their instruments on the album to date.

 

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Mammamia

One of those songs that feels like it belongs in the more formulaic territory of this album. The vocalisations from Damiano are a delight however, the way he accents certain words and holds them within a more gravelly tone at times sounds brilliant. There's no doubt that there aren't many doing it like him in mainstream rock at the moment.

 

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Supermodel

A throwback to 90's rock it feels like it could have been a Red Hot Chilli Peppers song in another life. One of the rare times they've deviated on this album, it is a breath of fresh air towards the end of the album. It narrates the life of a supermodel and sees us follow her around throughout various nights.

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The Loneliest

Finishing on a more sombre tone, this is as much of a love letter as it is a goodbye. It's at a point of acceptance where you're left in a lonely space. A song that feels like a cloud has been put over your head, one final scream serves as the final emotional release Maneskin have on this album.

 

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Overall, 'Rush!' isn't going to go down as a revolutionary album, Maneskin aren't producing anything new and probably aren't trying to either. The songs become formulaic within themselves quite quickly, three-minute rippers that feature a screaming Damiano singing about drugs, sex and the sleazier end of being a rock star. Yet you can't deny that there is a magnetism that this band projects, they have the personality which has propelled them to global heights and even if they're not too inventive, some of these songs do make you feel a bit more alive.

 

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