Constellations
by Dead Astronauts
EU/UK Distro Available Here:
linktr.ee/midnightmannequin
Inherently dark but aflush with pop sensibility, Constellations is the 2014 full-length debut from synthpop duo Dead Astronauts (Jared Kyle and Hayley Stewart). The follow up to 2013’s eponymous EP, it’s an album full of post-punk and new wave inspiration, sure to please fans of Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Depeche Mode.
Midnight Mannequin Records is proud to present this
deluxe reissue of Constellations, on vinyl for the very first time. A nearly decade-old synthwave classic is now poised to become a modern darkwave hit. Dead Astronauts has always had one foot firmly on synthwave ground, but the band’s willingness to eschew genre limitations and explore the vast spaces of darkwave, goth and everything in between is one of the main reasons Constellations still feels so fresh and unique. An album way ahead of its time. An album that sees two artists at the top of their game who complement each other perfectly. When Kyle’s deep baritone meets Stewart’s ethereal, subdued delivery, the results are magic. A timeless album now in a timeless format; that magic captured and preserved, tactile and eternal.
re-released October 15, 2023
Jared Kyle (Seattle, USA) - Vocals, Lyrics
Hayley Stewart (Toronto, Canada) - Production, Vocals
Jared and Hayley would like to extend special thanks to Slade Templeton (production assistance), Glenn Arthur (cover illustration), and Smatik (gatefold illustration) for their contributions to the original Constellations release (2014). Mastered for vinyl by Jeppe Hasseriis. Vinyl layout and slipcase design by Eric Adrian Lee.
NOT OK
by Mecha Maiko
**Peaked at #16 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 #2 on Bandcamp Top Synthwave Album Sales Charts
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NRW is proud to announce that Mecha Maiko is nominated for Electronic Album of the Year at this years 2023 JUNO Awards with “NOT OK”. Full nominees here: twitter.com/TheJUNOAwards/status/1620458372574085121
Mecha Maiko (AKA Hayley Stewart) is back with third album NOT OK, which could end up changing the entire landscape of synthwave. 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... more
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:
soundcloud.com/mecha-maiko
www.facebook.com/mechamaiko/www.instagram.com/mechamaikotwitter.com/mechamaiko
Let's!
by Mecha Maiko
**Peaked at #1 on Bandcamp Top Retrowave Album Sales Charts
**Peaked at #1 on Bandcamp Top Synthwave Album Sales Charts
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Now on NRW! Mecha Maiko is back to blow you away with her most dance-oriented record to date. For Let’s! she has drawn inspiration from her favourite upbeat 90s dance and freestyle jams to create a sound that is uniquely hers. Aimed at a more DJ-friendly approach, these tracks will find a happy home on the dance floor.
Mecha Maiko has taken a stylized, deliberate approach to the writing process with hardware accompaniments that expand on the stylistic framework laid out in Okiya, released earlier this year. This record draws on the anxiety felt in a late-stage capitalist society and seeks to agitate that uncomfortable energy within us to shake us from our collective paralysis of shock. Inspiring, uplifting and motivating, these songs are unmistakably laser-lit dirges of the dystopia.
Support:
soundcloud.com/mecha-maiko
www.facebook.com/mechamaiko/www.instagram.com/mechamaikotwitter.com/mechamaiko
All songs written, produced, and performed by Hayley Stewart.
Additional lyrics and vocals by Blake Voss (Vandal Moon) on Meet Me At The Arcade.
Audio engineering by Jack Marko.
Vocal engineering by Alex Gamble and Al-P.
Co-production by Jack Marko & Al-P.
Additional production by Matthew Butterworth.
Mixing by Jack Marko, Alex Gamble and Al-P.
Mastering by JFK.
Studios provided by MSTRTRKS and The Treatment Centre.
Album design by Hayley Stewart. Designs based off Hajime Ouchi’s Geometric and Optical Illusions.
Copywriting by Christian XI.
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