The reasoning is this: if it has to be done, it must be worth it; otherwise it’s better to stay put. Translated, now that Damiano David has embarked on a solo career ‒ Silverlineshis “debut” piece, came out tonight – he has to do it with something that isn’t even remotely reminiscent of Måneskin, that in short isn’t the spin-off of the band he fronts. And so it is.

Why yes, despite having removed the group’s name from the Instagram bio, he was quick to correct journalists who refer to him as “Damiano from Måneskin” (is he exaggerating?) and compares the release of this single to “the first day of my life “, the fate of one of the Italian musical projects with the greatest impact in the world is safe: woe betide anyone talking about dissolution, rumors say that the idea of ​​an album to be recorded by oneself – not yet announced, but probably there will be – is buzzing in his mind. my mind for years and a move like this is, in short, dictated by the desire to show another side and make the mothership catch its breath after three years in the blender (not even that many, it must be said).

Get naked

All the more reason, therefore, it makes no sense to “do the Måneskin” alone. So here we are at a rebranding, a reconstruction of the character from the foundations. The spirit and classic rock aesthetic, with sequins and muscles, have gone into the attic in the face of an image of a singer-songwriter-dandi with a retro and arch-Italian moustache, black and white photos and songs, it seems, in another language. Always in English, for goodness sake, but Silverlines It’s on another planet compared to what we’ve heard him play so far: it’s a piano ballad that mixes energy and melancholy, it talks about hope and new beginnings, it has musical atmospheres, but if it weren’t for some contemporary thoughtfulness in the arrangements it would sound like think of a vintage episode; in reality, we are in the area of ​​the timeless Hollywood classic, similar to Die with a smile with which Lady Gaga – another provocative game that ended up in more “suitable” territory – has just brought Bruno Mars out of the darkness.

But there are many others like this, and that’s the point. Let’s put it this way: David now dances alone, but is surrounded by his peers. This time there is no wall of sound from the comrades, there is no collective strength. There is his voice in the foreground which stretches, in a sort of intimate self-disposal, on a dry sound carpet, which enhances his skills as an interpreter, which in turn keep a well-produced piece together. written and developed, but which doesn’t have too many emotional twists. The message that passes, therefore, is the desire to demonstrate that he And Bravowho can do all this regardless of how you dress him, who if he wanted tomorrow could also become a crooner, as he is here.

A leap into the void?

He returns to the essence, then, and to do so he collaborated with Labrinth, a British artist and producer already working on soundtracks and artists such as Ed Sheeran, now as a producer and guide in a completely new world. It is a passepartout, and the choice of such a name is indicative, for now, of the championship in which it wants to play: that of the great American superclassical pop, precisely of Lady Gaga, of Bruno Mars of When I was your manby Sheeran himself. Those, then, of the great ballads. And yes, after all, the international dimension has always rewarded them more than the Italian one, by vocation and because no one is a prophet in their own home – in our country the Måneskin are much loved, of course, but also criticized, and they are certainly more divisive than abroad where consensus is often unanimous.

However, although the band perpetuated an old model of rock, in a panorama like today’s, at certain levels, they still represent a unique, stay away which they can catch just about anywhere, from the nostalgic, from families, from children, from those who don’t see themselves in the urban world that dominates streaming. And, of course, everything worked. Now the challenge is different and more fascinating: David goes to sit at the table of the greatstries to interpret their rules in his own way. Without bringing up how the removal or otherwise of the Måneskin brand could benefit or harm it, the competition around is much more fierce and well-established. The climb, this time, is difficult.