NYIKO – ‘Fate’ [Album Review]

Los Angeles-based artist NYIKO releases his sophomore album, Fate. The album blends post-punk, new wave, and synth-pop across ten songs.

Fate looks at the search for love and connection in a world shaped by technology, online relationships, political conflict, and memories of the past. With catchy melodies and a rich, film-like sound, the album asks simple but important questions about who we are, where we belong, and what helps us keep going.

NYIKO explains, “I wanted to write an album about the invisible forces that shape our lives. Whether it’s the internet, politics, nostalgia, celebrity culture, or our own attachment patterns, we spend so much time believing we’re making independent choices without realizing how much we’re being pulled by things outside ourselves. Every song asks the same question from a different angle: how much of our lives is fate, and how much is choice?”

Suggested entry points include the opener, “O Primate,” a post-punk song featuring shimmering colors and softened, gleaming textures that exude tints of new wave elements. NYIKO’s evocative vocals project warm, wistful tones.

A personal favorite because of its vibrating pop feel, “Stay Young” rides a powerfully popping snare and a fat bassline topped by platinum-textured guitars. The lyrics speak a universal truth few are willing to admit: “I don’t wanna get old / I just wanna stay young.”

“Sugar” travels on a driving darkwave rhythm topped by NYIKO’s deliciously captivating vocals, reminiscent of Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode. It’s one of those voices that’s simultaneously rich, thick, and sensual.

For some reason, “Neighborhood” summons memories of The Cranberries, with its jangly guitars and gorgeously swaying melody. NYIKO’s vocals drip with nostalgia and sonic sensations of the ancillary aspects of identity.

NYIKO ‘Fate’ video still, courtesy of Trailing Twelve Records

“Summer of Outrage” closes the album, carrying listeners back to 2020, when lockdowns, masks, and powerful emotions enveloped people everywhere. There’s a nodding, flowing motion to the melody – at once silvery and haunting.

Talking about the song, NYIKO says, “I wrote ‘Summer of Outrage’ in August 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, the George Floyd protests, mask mandates, and the constant anxiety of COVID. Everyone was isolated, glued to their phones, and social media felt like an endless cycle of outrage. It genuinely felt like we were living through a summer defined by anger, fear, and emotional exhaustion.”

Full of wonderful emotional drama and dynamism, Fate delivers effortlessly contagious flavors of synth-pop, indie-pop, and new wave.

Fate Track Listing:

1. O Primate
2. Stay Young
3. camgirl
4. Sugar
5. SUPERFAN
6. Shelter
7. Neighborhood
8. Fate
9. Victim of No Consequence
10. Summer of Outrage

Run Time: 36:34
Release Date: September 16, 2026
Record Label: Trailing Twelve Records