NYIKO – Keeping Me Alive

NYIKO releases glistening new wave and synth-pop with ‘Keeping Me Alive’. According to NYIKO, the track was inspired by personal experiences with attachment and addiction. The heavy message is counteracted by bouyant and glossy instrumentation. Leaning into more nostalgic synth and guitar tones, the production came together after NYIKO shared the demo with some of their close friends and collaborators. “Stone Irr laid down the bass and Niles Gregory tracked the guitar parts.

In order to properly explore the lyric, NYIKO tapped into a previous relationship.

“Without getting into too many details, my partner was suffering from a form of mental illness and her treatment became deeply interwoven with our relationship, resulting in codependency issues. In some ways, I think that the pure nature of being in that relationship was hindering both of our growth,”

In the song, NYIKO likens codependency to various vices including smoking, drinking, pills.

He explains:

“a relationship or a person can feel like an addiction and that you would be lost without them, even when you know that it’s causing you harm.”