One of the reasons why I’ve hitched my wagon to Hayley Stewart’s Mecha Maiko project over the past eight or nine years is that the Toronto-based artist makes inherently human electronic music that never bores, never sounds rote or paint-by-numbers, and always captivates. This is true for her music and lyrics, really.
Stewart probably uses digital recording software like everyone else does, at least in part, but her music inherently has a rawer, less settled quality. She isn’t just relying on sample-packs pawned in an Insta story interstitial ad and haphazardly slapping on a voice with mindless wordplay. Instead, she crafts work laden with catchy hooks, unconventional synth expressions, inventive sound design, and evocative lyrics. Essentially, the songs sound like they’re spawned from the human soul and not a machine. Quite the feat these days. (In my head, I often associate Stewart with the equally human Robyn, because the latter likewise has had pop success outside of convention.)
Nervous System is Mecha Maiko’s latest album and first since 2022’s Not OK secured her a Juno nomination (an award that is a bit like Canada’s version of the Grammy). This record is catharsis as art, and not for one note does she lose the qualities I’ve outlined above. Given the personal subject matter — lyrics focused on tough romantic dynamics and reclaiming one’s sexuality — and edgy, genre-agnostic electronic production, Stewart’s taken Mecha Maiko even further into the human inside. Passages easily move between the gritty and the beautiful, the sacred and the profane, and the intimate and the transactional. Our bodies can’t help but want to move, even as our minds get lost in thoughts about all of those messy human things.
The eight-cut release kicks off with the dreamy “Hello,” propelled by a skittering drum beat and artfully deployed blips and beeps that seem straight out of 1990s UK. If she ever could have been considered synthwave, this opening track pretty clearly signals the obliteration of any remnants of that genre that might have remained. We’re more in Warp or Lo territory than NewRetroWave (her longtime record label). Although not every subsequent number comes off this way, the overall sentiment pervades the work: all songs will lean on a temporal mélange rather than any dogmatic nostalgia exercise.
Elsewhere, we’re treated to some markedly creative sound manipulation. “The Point” is a controlled-chaos of synths that seem to swarm around Stewart’s tempered vocals and mechanistic beat-strut like robo-bees performing a ballet. The kinetic title cut likewise finds Stewart bathed in a melody washed with shades of digital chaos, laser blasters and treated drums carrying the weight of it all.
“Face to Face,” featuring a lead synth turn by Dan Werb, is one of Mecha Maiko’s heaviest, grittiest numbers to-date. She maintains her tempered vocals and leaves the instrumentation to do the dirty work. This cut with a live band would most definitely slay. About half-way through the album, Stewart unleashes a wall-rattling banger entitled “Fool.” A sweet vocal melody swirls over a speedy, electroclash-flirting rhythm and off-kilter, machine-like synths.
“Crawl,” the initial single and among the highlights of Nervous System, isn’t as serpentine as the title suggests. Instead, it’s an avant-garde dance cut with unhinged drums, big and chunky synth stabs, mesmerizing synthy mid-section breakdowns, and Stewart’s sing-speak invitation for someone to work for it. It’s a fairly minimal cut that nevertheless hits you with a wall of sound.
The two closing numbers — “Don’t” and “Tender” — are the perfect way to end this short but meaningful album. The delectable “Don’t” is a sturdy, steadfast proclamation that finds Stewart calmly but unapologetically informing someone — or maybe us? — “don’t/fuck/with me.” Hyperactive 909 drums throw up a march and minimal synths seem to be minding Stewart’s command; they’re not going to crowd the mix, no fucking way.
Despite its name, “Tender” isn’t a slow-burning love song to wrap up everything in a nice bow or some “Hollywood ending.” It’s a techno-infused song with a dark, Helena Hauff-like undertone atop which Stewart’s spectral vocals fly around forwards and backwards like ghosts bouncing off the iced walls of an arctic mausoleum. Occasionally stepping into the mix are some synthy strings that give the number a sinister, cinematic quality. It’s a beautiful way to end the album, even with its ironic title.
Overall, Stewart has eschewed the poignant socio-political commentary of some of her previous work, instead showing us a deeper side of inner self. Given that she is an inherently interesting person and captivating storyteller, I think we all end up feeling better for witnessing this rewarding turn. That she accompanies her lyrics with an intensely attractive array of electropop moods and moments is really a coup de grâce.
The Right Click 2 Download-released Nervous System is available now in digital and physical forms on Bandcamp, and digital on streamers. Mecha Maiko also has an active streaming presence on Twitch and Instagram.
Full Disclosure: Mecha Maiko was featured on a Vehlinggo Presents release, specifically 2019’s 5 Years compilation.
