Santino Le Saint's 'Golden Hour Vol 1': A Year in 12 Tracks including the UKG inspired ‘A Million Ways'.

Santino Le Saint has just dropped Golden Hour Vol 1, a project that represents a year’s worth of work across 12 beautifully sculpted tracks. “Me & @connorbarkhouse spent over a year trying to push ourselves and get inspiration from weird & different sources to make this album. To create something that felt close to home but also fresh to our ears & exciting.” Connor Barkhouse is an American record producer and audio engineer from Houston, who has been producing, mixing, and mastering songs under his own name since 2011.

Santino has this unique ability to transition between explosive, anthemic choruses and intimate, contemplative verses. Tracks often feature rich instrumentation, layering atmospheric synths and haunting melodies that cocoon the listener in a sense of emotional depth. Each song acts as a canvas—he picks up the brush, selects the colour, and begins to spill his thoughts on love, loss, and vulnerability—lyrics that unravel the complexities of modern romance.

The project opens with energetic tracks like “MOVIESTAR,” where Santino collaborates with Nippa, a British R&B prospect who recently received a MOBO Awards nomination for Best Newcomer, and long-time creative partner Col3trane, bringing a perfect cross between rock and R&B to the record. It’s impossible to ignore the chemistry between them, which gives this next level of energy to the project. Santino definitely wanted to test his own boundaries within these 12 tracks—and he did.

Known for his rock-inspired R&B, Santino’s music is a seductive blend of evocative storytelling with a moody resonance, darker undertones - merging storylines that hit home on a personal level. His sound gets to the core of heartbreak, self-enquiry, and the complexities of relationships. Skilfully blends the fierce riffs of electric guitar and bold drum patterns found in rock with smooth attractive R&B. Together, he gives his fans a sound architecture that feels polished, raw, and honest, all while holding the door open for vulnerability to have a seat at the table.

His father, a talented producer and artist, played a pivotal role in shaping his artistic pathway, exposing him to the world of music from a young age. Both parents played their part—R&B and Reggae introduced by his mother, while his father mostly played Jazz and Hip-hop. As his father once said, “You were in a lot of places you wouldn’t even have been aware of what music you were being influenced by.”

Touching on themes, one of Santino’s key elements that follows all of his productions, whether at the back or forefront of the piece, is emotional awareness. His music opens up conversations around vulnerability—particularly for men. Showing vulnerability doesn’t make you weak but rather more in tune with yourself. Santino helps break down the stigmas associated with emotional expression through his music. “The way you view the world as well as the music you listen to and what you end up expecting from romance and love and how you view it, ends up being how you look for it and treat it.”

Santino hosted an intimate album listening party and Q&A at Stereo (in the lead up to the release), a new live music and cocktail bar tucked away under Covent Garden Market at 35 Piazza. The venue, inspired by the late-night cultures of New York and London with a touch of Parisian chic, provided the perfect backdrop for fans to get an exclusive first listen to the album and get to know Santino a little better.

Over the past few years, Santino has been putting in the groundwork - he wrapped up a successful 13-date tour across the UK and EU, partnered with Jordan for JD Sport, and toured with 070 Shake. In August, he celebrated the fourth anniversary of Cloud X’s London festival with a performance. As he continues to establish himself in the UK’s alternative R&B scene, Golden Hour Vol. 1 already has us wondering if and when he'll give us Vol 2?

Tracklist:

Dancing While The House Is Burning - "I wanted to make a song that would introduce the songs and themes of the album, a true intro song."

Dr. Knockout - "This song tells a story of being addicted to somebody."

Just Drive - "a story of late night driving to a girls house when you don’t think you should and the internal monologue on the way."

Clockwork - "tells a story of being stuck in a cycle or loop with your romantic partner where you might be bad for each other but kinda love it and never change."

Moviestar - "I made it after a night out with some friends and we all went back to my boy’s house to make music."

A Million Ways ft Nippa, Col3trane - "tells a story of knowing how amazing somebody is and wanting to love them anyway you can but they won’t let you."

Diamonds Aren't Forever - "tells a story of trying to buy someones love but knowing it wouldn’t ever be enough."

Flawed By Design - "is about living a life you’ve always dreamed of whilst still feeling as if you have something or someone missing as well as coming to terms with the fact that you might never get it back and will always have love for her."

Lonely Star - "tells the story from the perspective of a girl who is jaded by ‘Hollywood’."

Semiautomatic - "a song about a relationship turning from an innocent crush into something serious and the complications of falling in love. I feel that sometimes, as people fall for each other, they overcomplicate their feelings, which ultimately damages the relationship."

Heart Attack - "tells a story of a girl who wants to love but has never known how to and so has many failed relationships."

I Already Known - "this straightforward song says I love you and would do anything to be with you for the rest of my life."

Credit: Wonderland "Track by Track".

For those who haven’t yet explored Santino Le Saint’s music, Golden Hour Vol. 1 is available now on all major streaming platforms.