Salmo has opened the gates to his most intimate and visceral universe with his new album "RANCH," which became available today, May 9, 2025, through Columbia Records/Sony Music Italy. This album features sixteen tracks that take listeners on a deep and personal journey, born far from everything and everyone in his Sardinian refuge, transformed into a creative forge.
Unlike the classic Western imagery, "RANCH" speaks of a real home, hills, and silences, representing the isolation sought to rediscover oneself. It is a physical and mental space where Salmo decided to leave behind social media, digital pollution, and put music back at the center, without compromises, trends, or algorithms. During a press preview in Milan, Salmo presented himself as lucid and sharp, infused with that bitter irony that has become his stylistic hallmark, but also with a new awareness marked by his 40 years and a process of self-analysis that permeates the album and its visuals.
Notably, "RANCH" is not just about music; it is a comprehensive narrative project, completed with sixteen music videos filmed in just four days, each tied to a track on the album and part of a cohesive, dark, and disconcerting visual universe. The concept is almost cinematic, featuring a character—perhaps human, perhaps robotic—living alone in a ranch in an undefined future, possibly set in 2070, that resonates with an apocalyptic and post-war silence. The videos were filmed in Bulgaria, where costs are significantly lower, and Salmo humorously noted, "the entire scene was shot in three real minutes, no loops or fake montages."
The production team for "RANCH" includes a dream team of collaborators such as Low Kidd, Greg Willen, Verano, Big Joe, Dade, Luca Agnelli, and Jacopo Volpe, with mixing and mastering by Andrea Suriani. The album features only one guest artist, Kaos, with whom Salmo felt he needed to settle a personal score. He recalls, "As a kid, I was closed off, marginalized, with low self-esteem. Then I saw a performance with Neffa: Kaos went on stage and devoured it. At that moment, I realized I wanted to become a rapper. He pulled me out of myself."
In "RANCH," Salmo does not point fingers at the external world but instead digs deep within himself. He explained, "In previous albums, I commented on what I saw outside, but the reality has remained more or less the same. This time, I decided to look in the mirror. The rap feeds the ego, constructs a tough image. I believed it for years, but now I realize that, underneath all this, I’m just a good guy." The album also showcases a new musical facet, with a spontaneous emergence of singer-songwriter elements, hinting at the start of something new. Salmo humorously refers to himself as the "Zarrillo of rap."
"RANCH" is also an album about silence—the kind needed to think, create, and return to expressing something truly worth listening to. The project is marked by an internal friction, a constant tension between control and instinct, past and present. It opens pathways rather than closing them, planting seeds even at the risk of getting one’s hands dirty. Salmo’s sincerity shines through as he asks, "Do you really want this life?" Perhaps "RANCH" is the most punk gesture he could make.
The opening track, "ON FIRE," is an adrenaline-fueled banger that immediately sets the tone for the album, celebrating the artist’s passion for his craft. "CRUDELE" offers a raw and naked storytelling journey into familial roots, while "N€UROLOGIA" brings back Salmo’s ties to classic rap with a direct flow and raw hip-hop sounds. The rock vein explodes in "SINCERO," a power ballad driven by guitars that recalls certain American styles, all filtered through Salmo’s personal sensitivity.
"BYE BYE" (feat. Kaos) is introspective and dense, a true ego trip with a powerful rap chorus that splits the track in two. The hard-hitting "BOUNCE!" channels the spirit of earlier works like "Killer Game" and "The Island Chainsaw Massacre." In contrast, "SANGUE AMARO" offers a more subdued atmosphere, a reflection punctuated by low-fi reminiscences. The track "CARTINE CORTE" features almost bluesy R&B melodies, with an evocative intro leading directly into Salmo’s surprising break from convention, launching straight into the chorus.
"BEATCOIN" showcases a track that shifts halfway through, featuring two distinct moments and flows, while "IL FIGLIO DEL PRETE" starts with a singer-songwriter vibe before brutally addressing controversial themes involving religion and the Church. "NUMERI PRIMI" uses key numbers in Salmo’s life as a pretext to recount crucial moments in his journey, filled with references and connections. The track "FUORI CONTROLLO" serves as a rhapsody for long-time followers, shifting forms and maintaining constant energy.
Salmo’s vulnerability shines in "INCAPACE," where he strips away all artifice for a naked ballad revealing his true self. "CONTA SU DI ME" is a love song, but not in the expected way; it’s dedicated to music, the only constant in Salmo’s life. One of the album's most poignant moments comes in "MAURI," where the chorus echoes Psalm 23 from the Bible, while one verse serves as an open letter to a long-lost friend. The album concludes with "TITOLI DI CODA," a theatrical epilogue featuring Mr. Thunder, the now-down-and-out record executive from "Hellvisback." This disarming dialogue plays with clichés of chart music, between hits and pre-packaged songs, as Salmo closes with a track that serves as a thank you, provocation, and reflection.
As Salmo prepares for his upcoming performance at Lebonski Park on September 6, 2025, at Fiera Milano Live, fans eagerly anticipate an event that promises to be more than just a concert—a true immersion into the universe of "RANCH." This unique show will blend music, scenography, narrative, and visual imagery, allowing audiences to experience Salmo in his most complete form as an artist, performer, and director of his own world.
