They say that all movements have a cycle of repetition. 90s grunge took heavy inspiration from 70s classic rock, the noughties had a lot of bands replicating the synthwave and new wave synth excesses. Some bands do straight up plagiarising (let’s call it homage), others took the essence (or the attitude) and the distil it (or mix it) with their own sound.

Such is the case of Odisseo, a Mexican band with all canines firmly embedded in the grooves of all those vinyl records from the 70s and 80s. Take those classic songs full of longing, add some modern whizz bang and you’ve got 5 songs that march together under the flag of Los Salvajes EP (the savages EP).

‘Cabeza de león’ (Lionhead) harks to the days of neon bright socks and Bubblegummers trainers. Some regret, a dash of  nostalgia for The One that Got Away and an infectious synth that playfully tugs our heartstrings in a wistful solo that does a lil’ coda of that ubiquitous riff. ‘Ingenuos’ (naïve) is planted in the same decade, but its soul is on the other side of the ocean. A bit of vintage Spanish (as “from Spain”) pop, now you get a guitar solo and a very good vibe. ‘Pequeño rebelde’ (little rebel) pretty much follows this idea.

But the 80s fade in that crackling FM static and we are welcomed to the buzzing AM sounds of the seventies. ‘Los salvajes’ (the savages) makes me think of an old ice cream parlour that I used to haunt in Tampico back in the day, where they played a lot of 70s Spanish pop. The synth bit is definitely there, but the new wave rhythm is more of a modern day thing. It’s an interesting clash of Ipod vs Leisure suits, eyebrow piercings vs sideburns, keep on truckin’ vs hashtags. Highlight of the EP, easily.

The nostalgia trip (seriously, getting flashbacks of old tv adverts and a hairdressers in Los Pastores) must end and we all wave goodbye (as much as our shoulderpads allows) with ‘El inicio’ (the beginning), which closes the EP. Really like the synth tone here and again, it’s a song about goodbyes. Cycles ending, hopefully showing you the path towards pastures that might not be greener, but different. Engaging with a heavy retrosound.

PS: Hey, is someone in this band a member of Pingüino, another great Mexican band? If so… where the frijoles can I get music from them?

Words: Sam

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