Michele Ducci & Letizia Mandolesi Share New Single ‘Follow the Sun’
Experimental songwriters Michele Ducci and Letizia Mandolesi have shared their debut single, ‘Follow the Sun,’ a psych pop track that serves as the first offering from their upcoming album and accompanying animated film, ‘Snail in the Clouds’.
‘Follow the Sun’ is a sun-drenched, melodic cut, produced and engineered by Simon Milner (best known for his work with Is Tropical and Ysing) at his 4am Studios. The track was co-written and performed with a collaborative group of musicians, including bassist Shane Kennedy (Girl in the Year Above) and guitarist Bill Morris (Yowl, Ysing). Lyrical contributions also came from GregoryBeBad.
The single introduces listeners to the world of ‘Snail in the Clouds,’ which Ducci and Mandolesi describe as a narrative project following a community of music-devoted, scorpion/snail/human hybrids on a planet called Snail. The plot centers on a struggle to protect the “ark of melodies,” a crucial musical power source, from antagonists Agostos and Doctor Subtilis.
The accompanying animation for ‘Follow the Sun’ focuses on the childhood of the main hybrid character, Diodoros, as he prepares to perform at a major festival and seeks what the creators call “the source of life, the place where the sun has a home.”
Of the track’s origins, Michele Ducci noted the inspiration from 16th-century philosopher Giordano Bruno’s idea of the sun being “everywhere and every time at the same time.”
“We recorded the track the day after I performed an early version at the Nursery for Freedom festival in London,” Ducci said. “It was a fantastic flow, with everyone—Simon, Shane, Bill, Lou—contributing with the motto ‘you do you.’ It felt like the song had been its own presence.”
‘Follow the Sun’ is out today, November 14th, via Monotreme Records. The full ‘Snail in the Clouds’ album and animated film are expected to follow in 2026. Ducci and Mandolesi’s previous musical short film, The Great Book of Nature, was recently named an official selection for the 2026 Venice Shorts Film Festival.
Headline photo: Letizia Mandolesi
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