Synth Single Review: “Shanghai Tears” by Skylane Drive

by Karl Magi

Skylane Drive's “Shanghai Tears” is washed by rain as tones with crystal purity ring above a steadily vibrating underlayer and wind sweeps before technological notes surge with vague threat and drums rebound with shaping influence. A thousand razor edges slice from the tones, which move above a gem-like spill of light and a melodic pattern deep with mournful emotion evokes feelings of urban disconnection for me.

Undulating sounds create a shifting tension and hypnotic motion within the track while the drum beat adds balancing strength. Darkness seethes, just hidden under the surface, while brighter notes exhale with softly touching feelings. A sense of pain and emptiness in the endless city gives way to a gentle synth melody that is brighter and more hopeful.

Tones sparkle like tears and the underpinnings press forward as dynamic energy is joined by yearning strings. Images of the impersonal skyscrapers of a vast metropolis join the bereft emotions that permeate the track before the music closes.