Synth Single Review: "clover hills' by John Cao

clover hills by John Cao is a song bursting with aching melancholy and an ethereal sweep of synth sound. It showcases John Cao’s gentle voice as it drifts gently through the throbbing waves of swelling synth and bass along with lyrics that capture feelings of loss for a love that has gone by and can’t come again.

There’s overall feeling of openness and gentle drift that permeates the music. All of the synth sounds are airy and softly caress the ears while the drums throb smoothly underneath them. The way the bright arpeggios shine through the other musical elements adds a starry brightness to the drift.

John Cao’s voice is soft and delicate, blending well with the musical elements of clover hills. There’s something especially poignant about the way the gentleness in his voice expresses the feeling of melancholy in the lyrics of the song.

Those lyrics are full of a deep ache and a sense of nostalgia for a time and a love now lost. The very first line creates a strong image with the words, “those clover hills we grew up by, they always felt so everlasting in July.”

I could feel the aching sensation in the lines, “Just then, for a while, we were both enough. I dream from time to time we stayed in touch” and the deep melancholy in the words, “As seasons passed, I learned not even hills are made to last.”

There is both resignation and yearning nostalgia in as the song concludes “that’s just life” and adds, “I keep watching the sky and it’s like you’re right back by my side and just then, for a while, it’s all enough.”

I was drawn to the mixture of John Cao’s singing, the soft airiness of the music and the yearning in the lyrics on clover hills. It's a song that connects well a part of me that has experienced similar feelings.