Pinguini Tattici Nucleari

Tuneful and a little irreverent, alt-rockers Pinguini Tattici Nucleari are one of the most prominent acts on the Italian charts. Their breakthrough single “Ringo Starr” was a finalist at the Sanremo Festival just one month before the COVID-19 pandemic hit; they launched a number of singles in the local Top Ten, including the chart-toppers “Giovani Wannabe,” “Ricordi,” “Nightmares,” and “Islanda.”

Founded in the province of Bergamo, the band was the brainchild of teenaged friends Riccardo Zanotti and Lorenzo Pasini, who took the name from a Scottish craft beer. The first line-up of the band solidified in 2010, consisting of singer Francesco Bernuzzi, Pasini, and Claudio Cuter on guitar, bassist Cristiano Marchesi, and Zanotti on drums. A self-released EP, Cartoni animali, (2012) attracted the attention of major labels, but the band restructured before signing to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22RCA%22">RCA</a>: Bernuzzi's exit and the addition of drummer Marco Sonzogni let Zanotti step to the front as a singer and occasional guitarist for their debut album, Il re è nudo, which was modestly received in northern Italy. More lineup changes occurred before the release of their sophomore album Diamo un calcio all'Aldilà in 2016: Zanotti and Pasini were accompanied by guitarist Nicola Buttafuoco, bassist Simone Pagani, drummer Matteo Locati, and keyboardist/accordionist Elio Biffi.

Third album Gioventù brucata (2017) and its single “Irene” were modest favorites, each earning gold and platinum certification in Italy despite not placing on the charts. Things started to change with the release of 2019’s Fuori dall’hype (2019) and an appearance on a tribute album to songwriter <a href="spotify:artist:19HiWVd2g0XyJstBsbW2Qm">Fabrizio de Andre</a>. A 2020 reissue of the album featured the catchy “Ringo Starr” -- a lovelorn single in which the singer compares himself to a bevy of pop culture sidekicks. The song was promoted with an eye-catching video in which the group replicated the pivotal school dance scene in Back to the Future nearly shot for shot. But when the group submitted the song at the annual Sanremo Festival -- a precursor to the Eurovision Song Contest -- the country took notice. Their performance, combined with a lively medley of previous competition winners from Sanremo’s 70-year history, placed them third overall, and “Ringo Starr” leapt to number three at home.

With COVID-19 halting their touring plans, Pinguini Tattici Nucleari managed to keep the momentum going with an EP later that year: Ahia! featured the hits “Scooby Doo” (comparing love’s trials to the monsters seen in the classic ‘60s cartoon) and “Pastello bianco,” both of which peaked at number two. As artists began to return to recording and touring, the group drummed up anticipation for a new album with the 2022 single “Giovani Wannabe,” their first to top the Italian charts. The song was featured on that year’s Fake News, a number one album that spun off another number one hit, “Ricordi,” which earned the group an MTV Europe Music Award and helped them become one of the Top Ten most-streamed acts in their homeland. The non-album single “Nightmares,” featuring rapper <a href="spotify:artist:7FeObngbQ0GY3SojNwKdKn">Bresh</a>, was their third number one hit, and their fourth, “Islanda,” came from their sixth -- and second number one -- album, Hello World, released in 2024. ~ Mike Duquette, Rovi