The Singles Jukebox

Eurovision group get second hit, and now well on their way to overtaking Gina G in terms of success.

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Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: Catchy tune, Franz Ferdinand-esque beat, lots of glam attitude. Måneskin’s first post-Eurovision “single” sees them trying their hand at the English language, but this move takes a lot from their original charm. Still gets point for Damiano’s convincing Semi-Precious Weapons-era Justin Tranter impression.
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Katie Gill: This may be just one idea stretched out to three minutes long, but it’s one FUN idea stretched out to three minutes long. The build-up for the first minute: drums to bass to guitar, it’s practically perfect. The repetition of the vocal lines is a damn smart trick, lulling you into a sense of complacency before you get hit RIGHT with the power of that instrumental break. It’s certainly not as fun or as kickass as “Zitti e buoni” but I can see why the song went viral. I also certainly wouldn’t complain if the band trotted this out in their inevitable Eurovision 2022 semis performance while all the votes are being tallied.
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Thomas Inskeep: Sure, there’s glam and hard rock in the DNA of “I Wanna Be Your Slave,” but also a little hair metal, especially in its gleeful ridiculousness. (And also the marvelous lyric “I wanna pull your strings like you’re my Telecaster.”) And that’s just what this needs a little more of; I wish this sounded a bit less, well, organic. C’mon, guys, you’ve never heard a Europe record? (Not that one, another, better one.) You’re clearly not afraid to be stupid, so get stupid already.
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Samson Savill de Jong: To quote myself from my review of Zitti e Buoni: “It’s not pushing the boundaries of rock … but it does the genre tropes very, very well.” If you’ve got issue with me presenting exactly the same review, take it up with Måneskin from providing exactly the same song, albeit hornier and in English.
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John S. Quinn-Puerta: Måneskin put their rhythmic chops back on display here, the entire song revolving around the patter of the vocals. The tone of the bass in particular is a standout, the pairing of staccato and fuzz really standing out during the triple gallops in the post-chorus instrumental breaks. The English lyrics on the other hand come across a bit rote, lacking the focking fluidity that made “Zitti e Buoni” work. Europe, however does not seem to agree. 
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Edward Okulicz: I can’t fault this for dynamics or intensity, because it’s got a great thumping rhythm to it. No surprise there, their Eurovision winner had all of that too. This one’s ended up an even bigger hit in some places, because it’s in English. Silly, not very accomplished English, but it probably doesn’t matter to some people. Me, I wish when Damiano David bleats out “you could be the beauty,” making it sound like “de-booty,” I wish he’d said “you could be Debussy.”
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Katherine St Asaph: Aspires to Iggy Pop and Depeche Mode and Berlin all at once and damn the problematic; achieves that TikTok about “the bastard… and the beauty… the thotty socialite… and the mysterious orb.”
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Claire Biddles: Listen, I didn’t come to this elite underground vampire sex club because I’m concerned about what the house band sounds like.
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