Mike Stewart Theory, also known by the name Mikey2Hats, returns to the fore with a bombastic new single, “It Reaches Us” It’s just not a song but an embodied experience that encapsulates you into its multi-colored rhythms and disco balls of fantasycapes.
The Austin-based trio, Mike Stewart on vocals and production, Marcus Praed on the Moog synth, and Julio Figueroa on drums, recorded this track in three cities, Austin, London, and Bad Iburg. The result delivers this smooth blend of Psychedelic and Indietronic sound, with an infectious groove of 80’s soul. From the very first beat, “It Reaches Us” demands your attention, your body, your reflections, and your ability to get lost inside its flow.
The song treads the line between playful experimentation and a polished groove. You can hear echoes of influences as varied as the edgy textures of Garbage, Radionhead’s emotive complexity, and Pharrell Williams’ feel for infectious rhythm, albeit always subtly twisted, threading through. Every layer, from the synths’ circling melodies to the drums’ exacting yet loose pulse, seems like it’s carefully arranged yet totally free-flowing. It’s a feeling that feels alive, like the song is breathing and calling you to its world.
Mike Stewart Theory occupies a world where hazy navel-gazing comes face to face with an unbeatable rhythm. The tunes are breezy and grand, but the pocket is a hard-footed groove that keeps your foot stomping, an alchemy that few artists have found. It’s that type of track that sticks with you long after the music stops and begs for repeat listens to completely decipher the intricate production and playful energy threaded into it.