Album Review: "FUNNY little FEARS" - Damiano David

Ashley Adams
May 22
8 min read

Damiano David FUNNY little FEARS Cover Art

Creative Direction: Damiano David, Fabrizio Ferraguzzo, & Alessandro Fabrizio

Photography: Damon Baker

Design: Davide Rossi Doria

Styling: Michele Potenza

Hairstyling: Marco Steri

FUNNY little FEARS is the debut solo pop album from Italian musician and rock band Måneskin member Damiano David.

T R A C K L I S T

Voices
Next Summer
Zombie Lady
The Bruise (feat. Suki Waterhouse)
Sick of Myself
Angel
Tango
Born With a Broken Heart
Tangerine (feat. d4vd)
Mars
The First Time
Perfect Life
Silverlines - prod. Labrinth
Solitude (No One Understands Me)

Known for songs such as a hit cover of “Beggin’” by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons and the popular single “I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE”, Damiano David has been one of the contributing members to exemplary mainstream music for the past eight years, his distinct vocals immediately recognizable to anyone who hears a song from his aforementioned band. In 2024, he embarked on a solo music career with the release of his debut single “Silverlines (prod. Labrinth)”, produced more in a pop direction than his usual music, which has usually fallen into rock and alternative categories. Although this is his first project separate from his band, FUNNY little FEARS does feature other amazing musicians, such as Labrinth, Suki Waterhouse, and d4vd. It’s also a concept and visual album, having a storyline and short film that was released simultaneously with the record, which you can watch at the end of the article.

Voices

David wastes no time jumping right into the album with the first track “Voices”. The tempo and power of the song gradually builds up to the electrifying chorus, something that occurs frequently throughout the album. David is in a new relationship, but as he tries to move on from his old one, he can’t help but constantly think about his ex. He thinks about her so much that he feels as though he’s practically telling himself to go back to her. No matter how hard he tries to move past the relationship, he keeps realizing that he should be with his ex and not his current partner. Unfortunately, his ex has a new boyfriend, so they can’t be together.
Next Summer

Narratively following “Voices”, the second track “Next Summer” is about how David will wait for his ex to leave her relationship with her new boyfriend so she and David can get back together. He continues to reminisce on what they once had, and is still trying to process the heartbreak that came with his ex breaking up with him. However, David is still willing to get back together in order to mend his broken heart. He has also given up on trying to move on and has most likely broken up with his current girlfriend, because it wouldn’t be fair to stay in a relationship knowing that he is truly in love with someone else, even if it means waiting a long time for them.
Zombie Lady

The third track of FUNNY little FEARS is a fun and upbeat song with production consisting of pop synths and creative instrumental arrangements involving an acoustic guitar, which go very well together to make an amazing love and summery anthem. The mood of the album shifts from heartbreak to being in love, especially since David’s girlfriend and fellow musician Dove Cameron makes a surprise appearance on the track. They both harmonize perfectly together as they sing about finding love and being true and devoted to that special someone in your life. Two people realizing they are perfect for each other in a world that considers them outcasts.
The Bruise (feat. Suki Waterhouse)

More beautiful harmonization is presented on “The Bruise”, this time with Suki Waterhouse. The vibes of being in love and experiencing true romance are expanded as they describe how you can love someone so much that you never want to be apart. It’s hard having to say goodbye to your partner, even if it’s only temporary. You love being close to them, but you feel as though you’ll never be close enough to them, no matter how hard you try. That is the feeling David and Waterhouse convey in the song. The production is slow throughout, but takes a turn in the latter half of the song, the tempo suddenly increasing as more instruments are introduced in addition to the slow synths and acoustic guitar chords.
Sick of Myself

The relationship David is in appears to be heading down the wrong path, according to what he sings in “Sick of Myself”. Using metaphors of being ill and needing treatment, what he and Waterhouse discussed in “The Bruise” turns into him being reliant on his partner. It’s hard for him to be without her for too long because he’s been affected by what’s happened to him in the past, such as being left and waiting for his ex to want to start their relationship again in the first two tracks. His insecurities are beginning to take over their love, and are starting to turn a good relationship into another toxic one. All of this is sung over another mostly slow-paced and guitar-heavy production.
Angel

The next track of the album, “Angel”, appears to serve as an interlude. The song strays away from the faltering love story and circles back to the romantic vibes of the previous tracks. David finds himself enamored over a girl he meets, calling her an “Angel”. He thinks she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever met, and utilizes the song title from Lady Gaga's “So Happy I Could Die”, which describes his emotions whenever he sees or thinks about her. This song is also most likely about Cameron, as he emphasizes references of her eyes, which are green. The musical components of “Angel” are made up of piano chords and matching drum beats.
Tango

Another upbeat track, this time featuring bubblegum pop piano notes, drums, and melodies inspired by 50s and 60s mainstream music, David explains how he feels he’s being used and not treated right, along with not understanding what to define his relationship as. He is in love with his partner, but he feels as though she doesn’t fully love him back, and only wants to be with him temporarily. He has expressed that his love language is the opposite of that, as he always wants to be around her, but she doesn’t share the same feelings. He then wonders if she ever thought the relationship was serious, and thinks he was sent the wrong messages.
Born With a Broken Heart

The lyrics of the eighth track of the album determine that the relationship has ended, as David describes himself as someone that has lost all hope with love. Every time he thinks he has found the right one, something occurs that causes his relationships to fail. He believes that love was never in the cards for him, hence the title “Born With a Broken Heart”. He believes he has never been meant to find someone to spend the rest of his life with, as he thinks he is the reason all of his relationships fail. While the lyrics are very melancholy, they are paired with whimsical production and instrumentation. The chorus features an addicting melody, but not before it’s followed by a pre-chorus showcasing David’s broad vocal range.
Tangerine (feat. d4vd)

More classic pop production returns with “Tangerine (feat. d4vd)”. Now that David has been broken up with, he finds someone new that he feels as though treats him right and better than his ex did. He doesn’t feel used or that he’s getting mixed signals anymore. He explains that this is who he should’ve been with all along, as he now feels much more loved and seen than he did before. d4vd also tells the story with his impeccable vocals. Their voices go very well together, which shows that David has the ability to easily harmonize with anyone, as shown twice before in the album, another way that he’s incredibly musically talented.
Mars

Rustic and alternative rock are the main ingredients of “Mars”, a song that criticizes the ultrafast advancements of technology that are hurting the planet. It also insults Elon Musk, calling him “The Devil” and references how he insisted that everyone will be able to live on Mars one day. David is resistant to conservative and Republican propaganda and has not and never will care for it, and he has no desire to fulfill the wishes of an annoying narcissist, saying that he plans to stay on Earth and be realistic about his life and be with his true love, his love for her exceeding any concept of immortality or technology contributing to the harm of the planet and people.
The First Time

In “The First Time”, David goes over several of his experiences that he went through that can be considered life-changing by many, such as becoming famous and traveling the world while going on tour. However, the experience he’s been through that he’s considered the most life-changing is meeting his girlfriend. He sees it as the greatest and most impactful thing that has ever happened to him and will ever happen to him. He considers it as when “the stars aligned”, continuing the romantic themes of true love a lot of the songs in this album have carried. David compares this moment to love at first sight due to falling so fast for her the second that they were introduced.
Perfect Life

David reviews his last relationship and how damaging it was to him, and wonders how his ex felt okay with doing so many terrible things to him when they were together. He feels as though he wasn’t good enough for her, and that they were never a match to begin with, which she knew, but still decided to be with him anyway. He doesn’t understand why he was played, but knows he doesn’t deserve to be in a toxic relationship. Now that he’s in a healthy relationship with the love of his life, he can fully see that he was used and was wronged by his ex and couldn’t comprehend it for far too long, and knows for sure he wants absolutely nothing to do with her.
Silverlines - prod. Labrinth

As the title indicates, the penultimate track of FUNNY little FEARS was produced by Labrinth, and his signature sound is very present on this song as there are sudden and spellbinding moments of cacophonous vocals and instrumentation in between softer-sounding elements. After the heartbreak that David has endured throughout the story of the album, he sings about how he still manages to find “Silverlin[ing]s” in his life that help him forget about the bad things that have hurt him in the past so he can create a better future for himself. He’s been betrayed before by his former partners, but now he's with someone who he shares true feelings of love with and knows he can always trust.
Solitude (No One Understands Me)

Throughout the final track of the album, not only is the record’s title dropped, but it transitions between different tempos and styles of music, making it a wondrous ending to a beautiful and perfectly crafted album. Sometimes, we all need time to be alone and collect ourselves and our thoughts. It can be hard to go through the trials and hardships of life and love, and we often need a chance to take a break and catch our breath. David perfectly explains this in the song, and the musical transitions can portray a sudden shift in feelings and could resemble having a panic attack or being overwhelmed or indecisive on how to feel in the moment.

The Short Film:

For Damiano David’s first project of his solo career, this an incredible and pivotal start to his discography. After listening to FUNNY little FEARS, it’s easy to say just how amazing this album is. It’s pop throughout while each song sounds so distinctive to one another, and the storytelling in the lyrics was perfectly executed. David’s talents have been known for a while, but this album takes it to a whole other level. In my personal opinion, I love how romantic and down to earth it was. I’ve also been a Dove Cameron fan for years and I was so excited when I discovered she was a surprise guest on the record, and I also love how David wrote about her and their relationship in the album.

Written By Ashley Adams

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