One Ride, Mille Emozioni: The Peawees Keep Rock Alive and Tour Stati Uniti

A record so good, you’ll want to ascoltarlo ancora e ancora.

The Peawees – One Ride (Wild Honey Records – WH 090, 2024, Italy)

The first time the needle hit “Banana Tree,” I had to stand up and play it again—just to be sure I was hearing it right. A band from La Spezia, Italy, sounding like the rock ‘n’ roll resurgence of the early 2000s? The Peawees instantly took me back to the era of The Hives, The Redwalls, Jet, Superdrag…maybe even Fastball. It wasn’t just a throwback (okay, maybe a little), but beneath the surface, there was an evolution—a refined take on rock and roll’s eternal pulse.

That comparison makes sense when you realize The Peawees have been around since 1994, releasing records right through that same early-2000s wave. They were part of it. And One Ride—their seventh album—is proof they never left. Somehow, they were new to me, which means I now have six more records to catch up on.

And yes, these guys are Italian. Not Howard Beach, Queens Italian—actual Italy, Italian. As much as I love the record, a small part of me wishes it had been sono stati registrati con testi italiani. But their command of English is so natural, it makes me wonder—what language will the world be speaking 100 years from now? (Second time I’ve thought about that today.) They’ve nailed the American rock swagger, right down to the go-go hand claps on “She Cries as She Kills” and the clacking castanets straight out of Spanish Harlem, circa 1963 (“Who’s the Enemy”).

2025 is shaping up to be a landmark year for The Peawees. Hot on the heels of One Ride, the band is gearing up to celebrate their 30th anniversary the only way they know how—on the road. And for the first time in 27 years, they’re heading back to the U.S. for an eight-date tour this April, before tearing through Italy, the UK, Switzerland, Denmark, and Spain. That means there’s finally a chance to experience this potenza del rock ‘n’ roll in their natural habitat—on stage, volume cranked, sweat flying. Three decades in, and The Peawees still sound like a band with something to prove. If you miss them this time around, non dire che non ti avevo avvisato.

The album sounds fantastic—at least on my white vinyl copy. Cohesive, energetic, and effortlessly cool, though I bet seeing them live would crank the excitement up even further. Recorded and apparently pressed in Italy, this is a top-tier pressing. If there’s one challenge with a band like The Peawees, it’s that they’re almost too good. The tracklist is so consistently solid, it’s easy to take for granted just how well-crafted these songs are.

There’s a story here about COVID and how it shaped the album’s creation, but honestly? Who cares about the impetus? This is a party record for the ages. Play it once, then play it again—ripetere la stessa cosa, aiuta.

2025 US tour Dates

APR 18 – NEW YORK CITY, NY, USA – Our Wicked Lady

APR 19 – PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA – Ortliebs

APR 20 – DETROIT, MI, USA – Outer Limits

APR 21 – MILWAUKEE, WI, USA – Cactus Club

APR 22 – CHICAGO, IL, USA – Liars Club

APR 24 – ASHEVILLE, NC, USA – Fleetwoods

APR 25 – RICHMOND, VA, USA – Fuzzy Cactus

APR 26 – ATLANTA, GA, USA – Star Bar