“We decided to try something different and headed to a studio in the Salento region of Puglia, southern Italy to write some songs and see what happened”.
The Feeling return with news of their new album, ‘San Vito’, and its lead single, ‘The Right Wrong’. The seventh LP from the British rock band will be released on April 12, with its first single labelled “a celebration of freedom”.
‘San Vito’ is named after the town of San Vito Dei Normanni, where the band immersed themselves in the local culture, food and pizzica music, shaping the sound of the new album. The album was recorded at Sudestudio (Guagnano, Lecce) and engineered by Stefano Manca and Matilde Davoli. Additional musicians include Pier Paolo Del Prete (violin 1), Elisa Caricato (violin 2), Claudia Russo (viola), Anna Carla Del Prete (cello), Emanuele Coluccia (sax), Gaetano Carrozzo (trombone), Alessandro Dell’Anna (trumpet) and Gioele Nuzzo (tamburello).
“We made the decision to write and record the whole album there, and over the course of the year we ventured back out, with the album coming together in no time. The sun, food and culture seeped through into the sounds we were making. We brought in local brass, strings and pizzica / tarantella percussion players. It’s very much an album by The Feeling but with a little Salento flavour mixed-in. We’re very excited for you all to hear it.”
LGBTQ+ community and freedom
The album “focuses on themes such as relationships, LGBTQ+ community issues and sexual freedom.”
Frontman Dan Gillespie Sells, co-writer on the acclaimed musical ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’, explains:
“Freedom is a subject that fascinates me. I grew up queer in a queer household so people’s idea of right and wrong were something we dealt with daily. This is just a pure pop song that playfully encourages the listener to make their own rules.”
The album takes on added significance with its connection to Puglia. Although Italy remains the only Western European country without equal marriage rights, with an elected far-right government that has threatened to legal protections of transgender people, the southern Italian region is known for its progressive attitudes towards LGBTQ+ rights. In 2023 the Rough Guides travel series recognised Puglia as one of Europe’s top LGBTQ+ Friendly Destinations.
Dan told the Puglia Guys: “Almost exactly 10-years after we celebrated equal marriage in England and Wales [The Feeling performed in the UK’s Channel 4 television celebration ‘Our Gay Wedding: The Musical’ to mark the introduction of equal marriage] the fight continues for equality, in Italy as elsewhere in the world.”
“Let’s hope they can right that wrong”, explains Dan, echoing the sentiments of resilience and determination that defined his own musical journey.
‘San Vito’ by The Feeling is released on April 12. A UK tour will follow in May. The second single from the album “I Won’t Sleep Tonight” is available now on the usual streaming platforms.
