LOS ALAMITOS, CA — “RUSH!” is the highly anticipated fourth studio album from the Italian rock band Måneskin. Having broken into the American mainstream with the single “Beggin,” Måneskin is one of the most popular rock bands in the current music scene.

On their first album since winning Eurovision in 2021, the band explores songs touching on relationships. From the lead single “THE LONELIEST” to the toxic depiction on “BLA BLA BLA,” there are plenty of different types of relationships covered, with varying degrees of quality songs. There are also songs about partying and having fun to break up the romance and heartache.

One of the most recognizable aspects of Måneskin is the vocals. Lead singer Damiano David’s gravelly vocals convey aggression, passion, and attitude very well throughout the record and are backed up with great instrumentation from the rest of the band. Most songs are dripping with an attitude that is ear-grabbing, giving the songs additional personality. This is especially true for more mature songs such as “FEEL” or anthemic songs like “GASOLINE.”

The band included a handful of songs entirely sung in Italian. These three songs are some of the most personal on the album and display the band’s love of their culture, which further sets them apart from their peers.

“RUSH!” is at its strongest when the band uses a more upbeat and aggressive sound. This is best displayed on the tracks “GASOLINE,” “GOSSIP,” and “LA FINE.” Here the band lets their heavy rock sound out, and David’s vocals truly steal the show. His voice, tone, and delivery are perfect for songs about rebellion, lust, and voicing problems that personally affect people.

While these higher-intensity moments are a blast, unfortunately, the more mellow songs on the record aren’t able to keep up. The two ballads on the album feel much more sterile and formulaic compared to the rest of the songs. Even some of the more tame traditional rock songs lack excitement or notability.

This isn’t helped by the less-than-stellar verses of a lot of the songs. While the choruses are large and demand to be sung by the listener, the verses feel little more than placeholders to get to the next chorus.

These factors come together to make “RUSH!” feel longer than it should be. With 17 songs in total, the handful of forgetful songs, most of which are in the middle portion of the record, really hurt the enjoyability of the record as a whole. Removing around five of the weaker tracks would make the record easier to digest while still keeping the themes intact.

While there are certainly some highlights on the album, the lack luster songs and laughable lyricism takes an album that could have been solid and takes it down several pegs. If the band is able to tighten up on their slower tracks and have less lyrical speed bumps they could make a solid album. Until then, “RUSH!” is pretty disappointing.

FAVORITE SONG: “LA FINE”

LEAST FAVORITE SONG: “IF NOT FOR YOU”

FINAL SCORE: 4.2/10