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Stay Retro and Subscribe: Support Our Soundcloud: Support Our Facebook: Get Your Retro Wear Here: Mecha Maiko (AKA Hayley Stewart) is back with third album NOT OK, which could end up changing the entire landscape of synthwave. NOT OK is OUT NOW: The Toronto-based artist has always stood out among synthwave acts for her inventive, dogma-smashing approach to the genre. Her 2018 debut, Mad But Soft, and EP Okiya, from 2019, showed an artist who could produce experimental yet catchy, complicated yet minimalist songs that evoke the delicate and often turbulent relationship between humans and machines. She continued that streak with Let’s in 2019, and loaded it with early ‘90s house and contemporary electro-pop elements that took the songs to dark dance floors splashed in neon pink. It was deeply human but inherently mechanistic. Tracklistings: 1. Innocent 00:00 2. Sunny, Softly (I feel love) 05:25 3. 400 Humans 09:36 4. Hard 13:37 5. Shut It Down 18:30 6. The Kids 22:54 7. Webs 27:20 8. Broken Tongue 32:01 9. Name Power 37:01 10. NOT OK 39:37 11. Just Some Guy (Bonus) 45:33 **Peaked at #46 on Bandcamp Top Electronic Album Sales Charts **Peaked at #4 on Bandcamp Top Electronic Album Sales Charts **Peaked at #2 on Bandcamp Top Retrowave Album Sales Charts **Peaked at #3 on Bandcamp Top Synthwave Album Sales Charts A lot has happened in the world since then, and NOT OK reflects that — even if the foundation of some of its songs stem from that pre-pandemic, post-Let’s era. Although she started work on the album at rural escape she referred to as “Synthpop Farm,” surrounded by a cornucopia of flora and fauna, she finalized the record in 2021 in Toronto with engineer and producer Jack Marko. NOT OK tackles the scandalous level of trials the world faces today, including “bogus conspiracy theories, racism, sexism, violence, and environmental destruction,” she says. However, she does this via a kinetic blend of dance-heavy rhythms, captivatingly melodic synths, and an array of experimental sonics that together keep listeners engaged throughout the record’s 50-minute run. “Hopefully it can validate some of the feelings and frustrations that others have been grappling with, and to serve as a reminder that we don't have to accept things as they are,” Mecha Maiko says. “I also hope it inspires people to deepen their connections to nature, and see just how beautiful life off-screen is.” - Aaron Vehling, NRWR133 All songs written, produced and performed by Hayley Stewart in Puslinch and Toronto, Canada, between 2019-2021. Engineering, mixing, digital mastering and additional production by Jack Marko. Vinyl mastering by Jonas Pinnau. Field recordings by Hayley Stewart. Art and design by Nathaniel David Utesch. Liner notes by Aaron Vehling of Vehlinggo. Photography by Zackery Hobler, with styling by Ana Popova and makeup by Simone Otis. A very special thanks to Jack, Nathan, Zack & the photo crew, Aaron, the animals who sang for me, and to everyone who offered their support and lent their ears to this record while it was under construction. Support: ©2022 NewRetroWave Records. NRW Records is under exclusive license to NewRetroWave, LLC. All Rights Reserved Visit to stay up to date.
