Song Review: ‘HONEY (Are You Coming?)’ by Maneskin

Just over two years ago, Italian rock band Måneskin took the world by storm after winning the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Gaining millions of streams as well as monthly listeners, the band has since released their third studio album RUSH! which was released in January this year.

Now, the 4-piece is back with the first single of a new era: ‘HONEY (Are You Coming?)’.

The Italian band started teasing this new song by sending several fans a DM asking “Honey, are you coming?” on Instagram, only to reveal the artwork not much later. On the cover, we see lead singer Damiano David licking a barbed, heart-shaped lollipop. Very evident also are the stitches on David’s hand, which he injured back in July.

The song starts with an almost spoken-word intro before diving into David’s raw vocals. “All is fair in love” sings David, immediately making clear where the message of the song is going. It is a love song about wanting to lead the person you are enamored with out of the dark and into the light, or as Damiano David sings, “there where it’s never hopeless”. As stated by David himself, the single speaks of meeting someone who has the same darkness, the same sadness inside them, recognizing that and inviting them on an unknown adventure where the journey is more important than the destination. The song is both one of affection and lust – “it’s not a one night stand if it turns into two” – as well as one of pain and feeling out of place in the world – “before I found this place I was feeling so blue”. Going back to the cover art, it perfectly matches up with the contrast between the bloodred lollipop versus the barbs and stitches.

All in all, ‘HONEY (Are You Coming?)’ is a perfect start to a new era and an immediate hit. Having played this song live for the first time in Rome the night before the release, it can be heard during the rest of their upcoming RUSH! world tour, taking the band through parts of Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

Written by: Mandy Huibregtsen