Frank Ocean returns to his roots as a storytelling balladeer on synth-driven track Dear April.
With a croon reminiscent of his Moon River cover, Ocean crafts a romantic tale of two“strangers and their two strange lives”. As Moon River arrived on Valentine’s Day 2018 as a pleasant surprise for lovers and broken-hearted alike, Dear April speaks, unintentionally, to the circumstances surrounding the timing of its release.
An ethereal guitar progression meanders through Oceans unedited vocals, almost disassociative in nature. Inter-dimensionally pitched-up vocals cut through the tranquil mix to add dynamic variety and colour to the sound palette in the latter part of the track. Patters of keys place the listener in a dream-like state.
Ocean leaves us with an inspiring message of determination fitting for April in 2020, the year of hindsight:
“What we had can’t be the same now /You will make something/That will take you through/And wake you up again/Just like you made me new.”
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