‘Follow the Sun’ is the first instalment from the album and animated film ‘Snail in the Clouds’ by Michele Ducci and Letizia Mandolesi.
The album and film tell the story of a planet called Snail, inhabited by hybrids – primarily a mixture between scorpions, snails and humans – who lead a life according to the style of Pythagoras, devoted to music. There is also a cloud man named Agostos, a writer of musical operettas, who together with a talking smoke machine called Doctor Subtilis, begins to kill all hybrids, targeting in particular the hybrid musician Diodoros and his band, in an effort to steal the ark of melodies, an ancient ship that allows the whole planet to survive with music and joy.
‘Follow the Sun’ is a psychedelic-tinged pop song that evokes a ramble in the sunshine. Joining Michele and Letizia in the studio are Simon Milner (Is Tropical, Ysing), who performs and also recorded and produced the song at his 4am Studios, along with Shane Kennedy (Girl in the Year Above), Lou Jenkins and Bill Morris (Yowl, Ysing). GregoryBeBad also contributed to the lyrics.
The accompanying video focusses on the childhood of Diodoros and his band, with whom Diodoros is rehearsing for the festival called Holy Wood, where they will offer their melodies to immense space. Diodorus was born to a goddess who resembles the Greek mythological character Thetis, the mother of Achilles. In the video we see Diodoros trying to go beyond the curve in which experience flexes to become the experience of something and someone, in search of the source of life, the place where the sun has a home.
About the track, Michele says, “I had been working for a while on Follow the Sun, which I had performed live for the first time at the Nursery for Freedom festival in London in aid of Palestinian families in the West Bank. I was joined onstage by GregoryBeBad who gave me a fabulous hand with a couple of verses of the song. Does the sun have a home? The theme of the song reminded me of Giordano Bruno’s idea of the sun, everywhere and every time at the same time.
We recorded the track the following day at Simon’s 4am studio. We started with Simon recording keyboard bontempi and drums and from then on it was a continuous and fantastic flow. Shane arrived for the bass, Lou to help with the lyrics, and Bill on the guitar. It was magic! It’s as if the song had been the presence itself, and everyone put in their own contribution with the motto “you do you”. It’s my ideal of life I think. In the morning at 6 Simon gave me the mix via WhatsApp and I listened to it again when I returned from perhaps one of the best sleeps of my life.”
‘Follow The Sun’ is released on 14th November via Monotreme Records with the full album and film to follow next year.
Michele and Letizia’s previous musical short film, ‘The Great Book of Nature’, is an official selection for the 2026 Venice Shorts Film Festival.
Credits:
Michele Ducci – vocals and synths
Letizia Mandolesi – backing vocals and synths
Simon Milner – drums and backing vocals
Shane Kennedy – bass
Lou Jenkins – backing vocals
Bill Morris – electric guitar
Music by Michele Ducci
Lyrics by Michele Ducci, Gregory Bebad, Lou Jenkins, Simon Milner
Video by Michele Ducci and Letizia Mandolesi
Recorded at 4am Studios. Produced by Simon Milner
