Computer Love crafts catchy synth-pop numbers that stick in your head and resonate ad infinitum. The artist’s latest cut, “Clio,” and accompanying music video, directed by Dylan Mars Greenberg (Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum), double down on the colorful magnetism of Computer Love’s work.
The video, a delightful blast of agrarian transcendence, is Greenberg’s first foray into full-on CGI. Although her work, including for Michael C. Hall’s aforementioned synth-pop act, has deftly incorporated effects for years.
Here’s what Finn Martel of Computer Love had to say about the song in a statement to Vehlinggo:
Breakup songs can often feel very one-sided, so I wanted to write a breakup song that examines both people’s point of view. In the verses we hear the person who is singing to “Clio,” and they’re clearly very distraught over this breakup, and not taking it well. In the chorus we hear Clio herself, and she seems to be thinking about the bigger picture, recognizing that this is just a necessary part of life, and that both of them will be OK. Additionally, you can sense the dynamics that have led to this split: the verse speaker seems to have a very defined and planned idea of what the relationship should and will be, while Clio points out that these expectations have imposed an unnecessary weight on their relationship, perhaps contributing to its collapse.
Martel also dove into the production side:
I wrote this just messing around with a DX7 emulation on my laptop. The chords and chorus melody came first, I think, and then it all fell into place pretty quickly. It was originally a lot slower and sadder sounding, because the dynamics and everything that happens in the song are all based on a breakup I had gone through a couple weeks before. However, after some time passed and I was feeling better, I realized that this wasn’t meant to be a sad song, and I sped it up and made it into a really fun, flashy pop song. However, I think at the core of its character it retains the memory of that original sadness, which I like.
You can find Computer Love’s “Clio” in many places.
