Single reviewsThe Other Side Reviews

Sano Hill – CircleWalk (2022)

Through his music, Sano Hill has reflected on love and loss in the timeless ‘The Climb’, only to move into the more toe-tapping ‘Starting Over’. He is following up these releases with ‘CircleWalk’, which offers a darker side of his music. Tackling the fraught subject of a communication breakdown in a relationship, he considers how people walk in circles when they can’t find the right words to express their emotions.

While touching on these circles, he urges us to break the silence and express ourselves, even when it seems to be too difficult. Backed by a full band, his third release brings an entirely new dimension to his music. Combining his distinctive vocals with his stunning musical arrangements, he drops you into the relationship of the lyrics, feeling all the struggles of broken communication.



The roll of the drums that opens ‘CircleWalk’ instantly grabs your attention, while filling you with a bopping energy. There is an infectious feeling to the melody that keeps you hooked to the movement of the track. The full band backing Sano Hill is an absolute pleasure to listen to as it brings this fantastic richness to the single. The horns rise for the chorus, taking you into the stratosphere with them, while the guitars and percussion bop away in the lower levels. It is an extremely catchy melody that softens the darkness of the lyrics while allowing his vocals to really shine. As you are riding the energy of the band, the emotions of the vocals slide into your senses after being enhanced by the instrumentation.

While the melody is utterly fantastic, the contrast of the serious topic woven into the lyrics is equally stunning. Hill’s vocals combine with the music for a single that you want to play on repeat, while shouting out with his performance. His vocals enter with a rather sombre edge as he lays out the communication breakdown for all to see. He brings the frustration of not getting an answer to a plea for better communication. His performance is packed with emotion that tugs at your heartstrings. The distinctive edge of his performance dips into the darkness of a lack of communication and the problems this can bring in a relationship. This turns into a call for everyone to open up more and express their emotions in a healthy way. The use of a single perspective is great and really hits all of the right emotional buttons.

With the fantastic backing of a full band, Sano Hill has you under his thrall in the addictive ‘CircleWalk’, as he pleads for better communication in a relationship. The melody is a masterpiece brought to sonic glory by the full band. Hill’s vocals ride the waves of the sound to tug at your emotions and make you want to listen to the track over and over.

Find out more about Sano Hill on his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.

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