"Imagine the pop experimentation of Bowie and Prince, throw in a bit of Beck and a bit of Mac DeMarco. The result: Hotel Del Salto. J. Francis combines brilliantly experimental songwriting with playful lyrics, a DIY approach to recording and, most of all, an irrefutable talent to package his influences into one, wonderful, 3-minute-long tracks. Gigslutz
Hotel Del Salto (AKA J. Francis) follows up the success of debut single 'Bigger Than Elvis' by adding another string to his bow; the art-pop cocktail of new single 'Stand For Your Right'. Taking cues from the dance/rock crossovers of Primal Scream and Art of Noise, while infusing the experimentalism of 60's pop pioneers such as Brian Wilson and Syd Barrett. 'Stand For Your Right' is a bold artistic leap.
Written in late 2016, the song has the unusual facet of being produced over two continents. "I wrote the main chunk of it in my hometown, Carmarthen. I had the idea of writing a protest song that was very linear, the fallout in the UK post referendum was deeply disturbing... then I went out to Texas for six weeks over election time and obviously there's parallels out there. It's about people sticking together rather than be divided"
'Stand For Your Right' is a thrilling testament of Francis's creative vision. Starting with a hypnotizing guitar and kick drum, before giving away to Francis's swirling vocal mantra above a deliciously classic bass groove. The track never lets up in playing around with the listener's expectation of pop structure.