ktwheels Photo credit: Claire Jean
Today, The Big Takeover is thrilled to premiere “Mechanical Being,” the latest single from Chicago-based indie rock force ktwheels, a song that hums, churns, and pulses with the uneasy electricity of a mind that won’t quiet down. Equal parts mechanical and deeply human, the track captures the tension between control and overwhelm, translating intrusive noise into forward motion. It’s the kind of visceral, lived-in indie rock that feels both immediate and quietly daring.
Built on clanking industrial textures, driving percussion, and warm, jagged guitar lines, “Mechanical Being” never settles. Instead, it propels itself relentlessly forward, guided by anxious momentum and instinct rather than polish or predictability. It’s a song that feels alive, constantly shifting, vibrating, and pressing against its own edges.
The track was born from a moment of pure instinct. Inspired by the inescapable ringing of tinnitus, ktwheels wrote “Mechanical Being” in a single day, letting the lyrics spill out as a stream of consciousness rather than forcing them into a traditional structure. “There wasn’t much thought into song structure,” she explains. “I knew I wanted the song to be a little jarring at times to emphasize the fluctuation between feeling totally fine and extremely overwhelmed in a matter of minutes.” That unfiltered approach pays off, resulting in one of her most compelling and emotionally honest releases to date.
From its opening guitar growl to its propulsive, motorik drive, “Mechanical Being” thrives on contrast. Delicate, plucked strings weave through pounding drums, while crunchy, industrial flourishes—rattling textures, whirring undertones, and cymbal crashes—momentarily derail the listener before snapping back into motion. The result is a track that feels migratory and restless, as if always in transit.
As the song barrels toward its final moments, ktwheels delivers its most vulnerable lines, “Am I broken down? / My mind’s depleting,” before landing on a haunting refrain that blurs internal doubt with external noise: “Can you fix me without words of worry / Are you hearing? / No, it’s just me.” It’s a moment that lands hard, equal parts confession and confrontation.
Produced and mastered by Maxwell DiFrisco and mixed by Garrett Spoelhof at Palisade Studios in Chicago, “Mechanical Being” captures ktwheels at her most immediate and unfiltered. Known for blending crunchy guitar tones with warmth and emotional precision, she draws from the lineage of fearless singer-songwriters like Courtney Barnett, Snail Mail, and Fiona Apple, while grounding her sound in the stark, restless atmosphere of the Midwest.
“Mechanical Being” signals what’s to come in 2026 for the surging indie artist. A livewire burst of anxious energy that refuses to slow down, it proves that sometimes the most powerful moments happen when artists stop overthinking and let the noise speak for itself. With this single, ktwheels cements herself as a rising voice worth paying close attention to.
Stream the premiere of “Mechanical Being” now, and stay tuned; ktwheels is only picking up speed.
New music on the way? Pitch Big Takeover Exclusives.
