When I decided on this release, the first question that came to mind was: What does the cover art convey, and how does it relate to the track itself?
The first instrument you hear is an oboe. At first, I thought it was going to be a classical piece, but it slowly evolves, step by step, into a track reminiscent of the early ’80s. There’s a male and a female vocalist who sing partly solo and partly in a sort of duet. The whole thing is underpinned by rhythmic strings, a synth bass like the ones typically produced by Kawai synthesizers back in the day, and the genre’s signature drums. Who doesn’t know those early synth-pop tracks? It sticks to the verse-chorus structure and has a proper ending. The track reminded me a bit of Franky Goes to Hollywood and Rick Astley.
What I find lacking is the development of the vocals. Not just in terms of recording technique, but especially in terms of expression, vocal presence, and clarity. It’s the vocals that tell the story and should take center stage. There’s certainly room for improvement here.
A little more time could also be devoted to the instruments and their placement in the mix and the frequency spectrum. It’s the many small changes that refresh the whole and make it unique.
Overall, it’s a track that has its place and can appeal to fans of this genre. Unfortunately, it leaves me with the impression of something unfinished with wasted potential.