Enigmatic production duo St. Francis Hotel share haunting debut single “Mondello”

Four minutes of haunting bliss, “Mondello” starts with a layering of strings and bells building up like a rising tide. Soon the vocals come in and add to the swell with an appropriate poetic image: “I've seen how soon the tide can change...”

But it’s when the chorus comes along that the clouds break apart to let the sun shine through. The melodic lines smoothly weave in and out of each other and inspire various feelings such as longing, nostalgia, and release.

“Mondello” is the kind of track you’d hear in a bar and immediately want to look up on Shazam, thinking it’s a classic you’ve heard before but can’t identify. As soon as it reaches your ears, it becomes a part of you.

However, the creators of this masterfully crafted tune are shrouded in mystery. You will find absolutely nothing about St. Francis Hotel on the Internet, aside from brand new, carefully curated social media profiles. The only piece of the puzzle available at this time is that “Mondello” is being released on Meltdown Music Productions, a new label created by Ross Allen, the man behind the success of London Grammar.

Judging from the maturity of their debut, St. Francis Hotel are a band who know exactly what they are doing and we gladly embark on this journey with them.

Stream "Mondello" below ahead of its release on 29 July via Meltdown Music Productions, and pre-order it on iTunes now.