Måneskin‘s Thomas Raggi has announced plans to release a guest heavy debut album featuring Beck, Alex Kapranos, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and more.
Entitled ‘Masquerade’, the record was produced by and also features Tom Morello along with Nic Cester, Kasabian‘s Serge Pizzorno, former Guns N’ Roses member Matt Sorum, The Struts frontman Luke Spiller and UPSAHL.
The eight track LP will be released on December 5 and can be pre-ordered here.
“Seeing so many musical icons come together (along with the ones I had the pleasure of meeting while writing the album) reminded me that music knows no boundaries; that you have to follow your instinct and inspiration, ignore imposed rules, and simply do what you feel,” Raggi said of the record.
“The Måneskin story teaches me that, and now I had the ultimate confirmation. I feel as if those who made music history are placing a hand on my shoulder, saying: ‘You’re on the right path.’”
Morello added: “Thomas and I connected over our shared Italian roots and our passion for rock music. It was really exciting to see such a young, skilled guitarist so passionate about the music.
“From that very first meeting, we made plans to collaborate and explore ideas together. For me, it’s another chance to champion rock and roll and show that it still matters. I see this project as part of keeping that tradition alive.”
According to a press release, the lead track ‘Getcha!’ was born from a collaboration with Beck, who co-wrote the song, and features Chad Smith on drums, with lyrics by Nic Cester.
“This was a fun collaboration and I enjoyed the challenge of singing outside of my normal comfort zone. There were lots of interesting people involved in this song so I was happy to be involved,” Cester said of the track.
On ‘Cat Got Your Tongue’, Sergio Pizzorno contributed his lyrics to Raggi’s guitar-driven songwriting, while Maxim co-wrote ‘Fallaway’ and UPSAHL contributed to the writing of
‘Lucy’.
UPSAHL said of the latter: “Being part of this song was such a dream. The day we wrote it, the song just fell out of us. I’m such a fan of Thomas, his vision, and everyone on this record. I’m so stoked it’s finally out in the world.”
Hama Okamoto, who also featured on the track, added: “I’m thrilled to be participating in this project as a Japanese player. Playing the rhythm section with my favourite artist Chad Smith was absolutely amazing and exciting. Thomas, let’s meet on stage next time!”
Elsewhere Alex Kapranos features on a cover of Dead Or Alive‘s ‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’.
“I was really chuffed when Thomas and Tom asked me to join them on this recording of ‘You Spin Me Round,” the Franz Ferdinand frontman explained. “I remember when I was a kid, hearing that song for the first time and absolutely adoring it. I’ve loved that song my entire life and have sung it at karaoke on several occasions.”
He continued: “When they sent me the initial recording they had made, I loved it! Particularly the section with the guitar solo in the middle. I thought, ‘This is what a cover should be like.’ It should capture the energy of the song but also bring something different, a bit of personality and this definitely has that. I hope people enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it.”
Måneskin previously teamed up with Morello on their 2023 single ‘GOSSIP’. Last year Raggi also teamed up with the Rage Against The Machine guitarist to perform the single and a cover of MC5‘s ‘Kick Out The Jams’ at a show at the Electric Ballroom in Camden Town.
The tracklisting for ‘Masquerade’ is as follows:
1. ‘Getcha!’ – with Nic Cester & Chad Smith & Tom Morello
2. ‘Keep The Pack’ – with Matt Sorum & Tom Morello
3. ‘Lucy’ – with Upsahl & Hama Okamoto & Chad Smith
4. ‘Cat Got Your Tongue’ – with Sergio Pizzorno
5. ‘For Nothing’ – with Matt Sorum
6. ‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’ – with Alex Kapranos
7. ‘The Ritz’ – with Luke Spiller
8. ‘Fallaway’ – with Maxim
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