Michael Oakley Returns With The Explosive ‘World Of Promises’

It’s been a fruitful week for synthwave fans who love well-crafted pop songs from talented Scots fowk. A week after we got a new FM-84 track, out comes the inimitable Michael Oakley with the massive single “World of Promises” (with backing vocals by Dana Jean Phoenix) and its impressively executed music video. Oh, and did I mention that Ollie Wride co-wrote the track? It’s been about 8.5 years since the long-time Canada-resident Oakley released his debut album, California, and in that time he’s been crucial to helping expand the scene’s depth and breadth with evocative songwriting that deftly blends skilled musicianship, memorable hooks, and powerful pipes. (His handiwork is all over a wealth of Wride cuts, closing the circle of their well-developed-but-not-well-known songwriting partnership.) He’s also helped keep the genre and its scene honest, writing one of the most poignant pieces this publication has given the world. (Given the prevalence of Suno and other AI platforms, I…