Straytones tap into resistance and reality with 'Не окей (Not OK)'

Kyiv’s genre-bending trio Straytones trade their usual cosmic fuzz for something far more grounded on their striking new single 'Не окей (Not OK)'. Gone is the airy psychedelia that once defined them; in its place stands a raw, simmering protest wrapped in swirling distortion and delivered with a clenched jaw.

This isn’t escapist rock. It’s confrontation, both musical and lyrical. Singing entirely in Ukrainian, Straytones plant their flag firmly in the soil of lived experience, rejecting apathy and reclaiming language as an act of cultural defiance. The song’s palette, now sharpened and shadowed, mirrors a world fraying at the edges. Its riffs are jagged, the rhythm restless, and the mood one of disquiet that never resolves.

Clocking in like a siren warning from a crumbling future, 'Не окей (Not OK)' doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it lingers in discomfort, holding a mirror to the daily absurdities and horrors faced in a world gone sideways, especially in their homeland. Yet beneath the simmering frustration is an undercurrent of strength, the kind that doesn’t shout but stands its ground. No anthem, no tidy bow; just a stark acknowledgment that things are broken, and that recognition itself is a form of resistance.

This track marks a tonal turning point not just for Straytones’ sound, but their ethos. "Kyiv Psych Fuzz” still underpins their style, but here it’s been melted down and reforged for darker times. With their upcoming live LP on the horizon, 'Не окей (Not OK)' sets a potent tone, one less about escaping reality and more about facing it with unflinching clarity.

Straytones have never sounded more vital.