Scottish synthwave artist Michael Oakley released “World of Promises,” a new single from his album Prologue via NewRetroWave. The track combines sleek synth-pop production influenced by Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, and New Order with darker thematic content exploring corporate manipulation, false promises, and eroded trust in public discourse. Oakley’s silk-smooth vocals ride atop seductive bass synths and cinematic pads, while lyrically questioning whether words retain meaning in an age of weaponized messaging and fractured social bonds. The accompanying neon-noir video depicts surveillance and intrigue within a nightclub setting, featuring a mysterious red-haired woman in sunglasses navigating shadowed figures, CCTV grids, and coded imagery reminiscent of 1980s cyber-noir films. The visual aesthetic merges VHS degradation with stylized restraint, framing corporate power dynamics as a retro-futurist thriller unfolding on a dancefloor that doubles as a control room.
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