Establishing the mood with a astral arpeggios, and cerebral and metallic percussive elements with textured drums, Mike Stewart Theory opens It Reaches Us with sonic dimensionality and processed vocals with the prophetic words, “The light from the stars takes a long time to get here, but it reaches us…”
The opus expands with more physics related revelations about the stars, light energy, and the connected nature of the universe. Needless to say, we are obsessed. A psychedelic synth draws us further into the song with industrial drum work, intertwined with the astrophysics lesson through the medium of sound!
It Reaches Us feels both playful and ambitious, and is designed to set the cosmic stage for Mike Stewart Theory‘s upcoming album Mikey2Hats Birthday. The sound is a hybrid of psychedelic and indietronic with a funky throwback groove.
Recorded between Austin, London, and Bad Iburg, It Reaches Us fuses cultures and moods with a notion of oneness, reminding us that we are stardust and indeed the universe. We appreciate Marcus Praed’s swirling moog lines that bring this energy to life, whilst Julio Figueroa’s drumming snaps against the beat and Mike Stewart‘s unique falsetto.
We learn how Mike Stewart pulls from a wild mix of sounds on It Reaches Us. It manifests with hints of Garbage’s punchy grooves and the moody sweep of Radiohead, but then he’ll slip in the smooth falsetto which he says was inspired by early soul singers and Pharrell.
The track also owes a lot to the layered textures of Massive Attack and Chemical Brothers. As for the thematic inspiration, Stewart says watching eclipses got him thinking about the concept of light moving through space!
Naturally, we have added It Reaches Us to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TRIPPY playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Mike Stewart Theory, including the entirety of the 2025 album, Evereverland.