We love seeing musicians from different parts of the rock scene join forces and collaborate on something special. Whether it be an original song or a cover of a band that moved them, the results can prove music’s undeniable ability to form deep human connections. Duran Duran’s new cover of “Pyscho Killer” by Talking Heads is no exception, featuring Måneskin’s badass bassist, Victoria De Angelis.
The new rendition of the Talking Heads classic highlights bass as it ebbs and flows with emotion through every fiery run. Every instrument in the arrangement plays off one another to create one infectious conversation of rhythm and melody. Duran Duran and Victoria De Angelis’ musicianship gives “Psycho Killer” a modern funk-rock sound that pays homage to the original without becoming a carbon copy. Each component of the song’s arrangement and production is as catchy as it is intentional.
The kismet collaboration started moving after the Måneskin member met Duran Duran bassist John Taylor at a party. They hit it off after connecting over their mutual adoration for Talking Heads’ iconic bassist, Tina Weymouth. “I met John at a party, and we immediately bonded talking about music and bass,” De Angelis recalls. “I told him Tina Weymouth was my absolute pinnacle of cool, attitude, and incredible musicianship all rolled into one, and he told me he also started playing bass inspired by her and she was one of his music idols.”
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The conversation struck a chord with both musicians, and the rest was history. Months later, Taylor reached out to De Angelis and asked her to be a part of the band’s cover of “Psycho Killer.” The Måneskin bassist shares the surreal moment when she received the call from one of her favorite bands. “I then got a call from John months later saying he was working on a cover of ‘Psycho Killer,’ and he wanted to ask me first about playing on it. It was insane being asked by one of the greatest bass players ever to play one of my favorite songs with Duran Duran. Absolutely insane. I’m so grateful and honored. It was so much fun recording together with John, and he was so sweet to me and encouraged me to express myself and play it my own way. I’ll always remember that day.”
Calling De Angelis one of the most “important electric bassists out there right now,” John Taylor was just as thrilled to make the collaboration happen. “She’s such a dynamo,” he says. “I was like, ‘What inspired you?’ and Vic said, ‘Tina Weymouth.’ So when ‘Psycho Killer’ made the cut for the album, I thought, ‘I’m gonna ask her if she’d like to have a bass-off!’”
