The Cleopatras
“Heart Pieces”
Release: april 17, 2026
Label: Blackcandy Produzioni
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Our latest record represents a real evolution for us, both musically and lyrically. The ironic tone that has always been part of our identity hasn’t completely disappeared, but in these songs it emerges less clearly—probably because the times we’re living in are too dark, even for us. That doesn’t mean we’ve lost our sense of fun, though. In our live shows that dimension remains essential: we still believe that playing together, dancing, and sharing the same space is a necessary way to exorcise the anxieties of this difficult present and an increasingly uncertain future.
We called the album Heart Pieces because, for the first time, alongside songs with a strong social and political edge, we felt the need to expose ourselves more on an intimate and personal level. Tracks like Amore Narcotico and Deep Night (Lullaby) speak about fragility, emotional dependency, and the need for protection and pause, without filters or masks. This is probably the album’s biggest novelty: holding together anger and tenderness, disillusionment and the need for comfort, without fear of showing vulnerability.
The journey was enriched by collaborations that mean a lot to us. With Animaux Formidables, featured on Bangs in Your Head, we share an affinity rooted in fuzz, instinct, and imagery—but also a strong connection through female drumming. The song tells the story of a sort of “voodoo witch” who, through her hypnotic rhythm, captures the listener and forces them to dance.
With Meganoidi, on the other hand, the collaboration grew naturally over the past few years thanks to shared shows and a friendship born on stage, which organically led to Amore Narcotico and other collaborations.
Musically, Heart Pieces moves across different territories: modern psychedelia, classic punk rock, garage, and Italian punk—inevitably emerging in the track with Meganoidi. What holds everything together is what we now recognize as our stylistic signature, built over the years, record after record. Heart Pieces is exactly this: different fragments, sometimes rough, sometimes vulnerable, which together tell where we are right now.
TRACKLIST
01. Bye Boy
02. Daddy’s Company
03. Radical Kitchen
04. Bangs in your Head (featuring Animaux Formidables)
05. Amore Narcotico (featuring Meganoidi)
06. Moon over Marin
07. A Toast
08. The Crook
09. Smile Baby Smile
10. Deep Night (Lullaby)
Bonus tracks available exclusively on the LP & CD editions: two tracks previously released only in digital format.
11. Naturalmente Punk
12. Siamo Marea
CREDITS
Autors/Composers:
For alla sings:
Autor: Vanessa Billi
Composer: Marta Franceschi
Expect
– Amore Narcotico:
Autri: Vanessa Billi/Luca Guercio
Composer: Marta Franceschi/Luca Guercio
– Moon Over Marin:
Writers: Jello Biafra, East Bay Ray, D.H. Peligro, Klaus Flouride, performed by Dead Kennedys, published by Songs of Goldstate Asset CO
Musicians:
For all songs:
Camilla Lastrucci – Drum
Alice Guerrini – Bass
Marta Franceschi – Guitar and second voice
Vanessa Billi – Singer, keyboard and tambourine
expect
– Amore Narcotico:
Camilla Lastrucci – Drum
Alice Guerrini – Bass
Marta Franceschi – Guitar and second voice
Vanessa Billi – Singer
Davide Di Muzio – Singer
Luca Guercio – Trumpet
– Bangs in your Head:
Camilla Lastrucci – Drum
Alice Guerrini – Bass
Marta Franceschi –Guitar and second voice
Vanessa Billi – Singer
Mr Formidable – Singer, Guitar
Mrs Formidable – Electronic Percussion
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Ale Sportelli at Ale Sportelli Recording Studio, Cascina (Pisa).
additional recordings on “Bangs in your Head” by Mario Martini (Torino)
additional recordings on “Amore Narcotico” by Luca Guercio (Genova)
Produced by Ale Sportelli and The Cleopatras
Photo credits: Marcello Perego (Milkit Studio)
TRACK BY TRACK by The Cleopatras
01. Bye Boy
A retro-flavoured emotional liberation song that captures the moment of realizing you’re trapped in an unbalanced relationship. Saying “bye” becomes an act of self-care, moving through pain, self-criticism, and the reclaiming of one’s own voice.
02. Daddy’s Company
A direct critique of inherited privilege and the myth of meritocratic success. In classic Cleopatras style, the song exposes power built on the backs of others, shaped by nepotism, classism, and arrogance disguised as self-made men or women, while questioning the rhetoric of “if you want, you can”. Daddy’s Company also targets media narratives celebrating young successful people—model students, artists, or entrepreneurs—who appear to have made it on their own or to have dropped everything to travel the world, while ignoring how often these achievements are made possible by strong social and economic privilege.
03. Radical Kitchen
A true political and personal manifesto: the messy kitchen and appearance become symbols of rejecting imposed perfection. It’s a reclaiming of imperfection as an act of resistance, especially against oppressive expectations placed on women. The harshness of fuzz alternates with more relaxed moments where the vocals let got, as urged by the song itself, while voices chase each other in harmonies with a distinctly “stereolabian” feel.
04. Bangs in Your Head (feat. Animaux Formidables)
A sensual, tribal, instinctive, and physical explosion. Desire takes control, pounding in the head and body, turning into shared sonic energy. Fuzz once again plays a central role, this time intertwining with Mr. Formidable’s sonic guitar. At the core of the track is an obsessive, Cramps-inspired drumming: Camilla’s drums merge with Mrs. Formidable’s electronic percussions, giving life to the garage-punk witch the song is dedicated to.
05. Amore Narcotico (feat. Meganoidi)
A tired and hypnotic love story, suspended between nostalgia, emotional dependency, and existential loops. Feelings turn into a substance that numbs and distances from reality, trapping the protagonists in an eternal déjà-vu. In the final part, however, the song opens up to a moment of awareness—an invitation to break free from emotional numbness and start living again. Davide Di Muzio’s warm vocal tone blends with Vanessa’s more delicate one, shaping the push-and-pull between the two characters, while Luca Guercio’s trumpet adds a poignant touch to a love story that doesn’t know where it’s heading. A classic track in the style of Italian punk, enhanced by the presence of one of its protagonists.
06. Moon Over Marin (Dead Kennedys cover)
The band pays tribute to Dead Kennedys by reinterpreting a punk classic with strong ecological and dystopian themes. A fenced-off, polluted, and privatized future, told with sarcasm and unease that remain strikingly relevant. The Cleopatras’ version is inevitably softer than the original: it respects its structure and content, including the surf guitar incursions, but offers a more melancholic reading, acknowledging that more than forty years after its release, the state of our planet has not improved—quite the opposite.
07. A Toast
A bitter toast to the end of a relationship and a shared identity. Between bars, rum, and memories, the song turns loss into a rite of passage, where endings and beginnings coexist. Clean, arpeggiated guitars and acidic keyboards create a soft sixties-flavoured vibe.
08. The Crook
A punk rock straightforward track that exposes the language of those who use words as tools of power and manipulation. Between empty promises, rhetoric, and moral posturing, the song refuses compromises with hypocrisy and distances itself from narratives built to deceive and steer public opinion.
09. Smile Baby Smile
An ironic and unsettling scream against the social pressure to always be pleasant, especially for women. “Smile” becomes a macho command to be sabotaged by dancing to punk rock. A sub-two-minute missile with a fresh, modern edge.
10. Deep Night (Lullaby)
The most intimate closing track of the album: a lullaby influenced by Brian Jonestown Massacre and vague memories of travels in the East. A song for these dark times, creating a protected space in the middle of global chaos. Tenderness and fear coexist, like an embrace trying to resist external brutality by taking refuge in affection.
Bonus tracks available exclusively on the LP & CD editions: two tracks previously released only in digital format.
12. Naturalmente Punk
A sort of manifesto for the Cleopatras, reflecting the attitude and spontaneity of an authentic band, for better or worse, that has managed to stay afloat for many years despite difficulties and the risk of seeming anachronistic. The Cleopatras are not interested in pleasing anyone — this is who they are: naturally punk.
13. Siamo Marea
A feminist slogan reinterpreted through imagery, such as the tide that advances and reclaims spaces and cities, addressing through brief suggestions themes like intersectionality and the cross-cutting nature of feminist struggles, the importance of valuing past battles, and the need to break patterns and taboos. Above all, the track expresses the concept of sisterhood and how it can bring about change in society. The song is deliberately rough and solid, with a granite-like sound and a bare, essential structure, representing the strength of the feminist tide advancing as one, while also featuring more open moments and a catchy chorus designed to be sung collectively.
BIO
The Cleopatras are more than just a band: they are a burst of raw energy, punk creativity and free spirit. Drawing inspiration from Ramones, Blondie, The Cramps and Joan Jett, they have crafted a distinctive sound that blends punk, surf, garage rock, indie and glam-infused elements.
Their latest EP, *Naturalmente Punk*, is a bold and uncompromising manifesto: three tracks focused on authenticity, resilience and irony—a perfect snapshot of the band’s essence.
Their previous album, *Bikini Grill*, established The Cleopatras as a unique voice within the punk scene. The record combines retro vibes with themes of female empowerment, a critique of gender labels in rock music, and the sheer joy of making music. Their cover of Yoko Ono’s “Kiss Kiss Kiss” gained worldwide attention and was shared by Ono herself on social media.
Earlier releases include the EP *Onigiri Head*, inspired by their wild Japanese tour and packed with irreverent, high-energy tracks. *CleoPower!* (2017) tackled stereotypes and prejudice with sharp lyrics and a strong feminist stance, while albums such as *La Maledizione del Faraone* (2014) and *Things Get Better* (2010) documented their evolution from young garage-rock rebels to solid rock’n’roll contenders.
Their first recordings date back to the early 2000s with the vinyl singles *The Cleopatras* (2000) and *Let’s Run With…* (2001).
Over the years, they have played iconic festivals such as Azkena Rock Festival, Roots & Roses, Festival Beat, Rebellion, Fuzzville and This Is Ska; appeared at Milan Fashion Week; contributed to music publications; and written anthems celebrating rebellion and freedom.
Camilla, Alice, Marla and Vanessa remain an unstoppable force, ready to bring their explosive punk energy to every stage of the upcoming tour.
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