Album Review/ Alt : Oscar’s ‘antidepresivos’

Oscar’s “antidepresivos” is part of a nine-track concept album by Mexican artist Oscar Carrión, from Mérida, Yucatán. The project is meant to evoke. With myriad textures, evolving stylings and unique musical gestures, these nine tracks are impactful to say the least. The artist plays with energy, manipulates rhythm and explores textures to cultivate an atmosphere. There’s a lot of styles that come in and go out. Variance is just a medium here. The feeling at the base of it all is the artistic destination. 

The ambiguity of the album is introduced with the ‘intro’ track. With its modern orchestra where alt rock meets hip-hop meets electro funk meets soulful chemistry orients the listener to the diversity within the collection. ‘antidepresivos’ is next. The track opens with roaming synth lines. The synthwaves keep travelling through the soundscape, catching the propulsive rap verse flow. There’s ambience, which keeps expanding with a synth orchestral, classic rock flair. All to match the vocal intensity that the artist keeps driving with. You can’t help but get absorbed and root for the protagonist. 

‘el tiempo y su paso’ dances with Latin blues. The rap flow takes up a mellow energy, flowing with the blues rock chords. It is modern elements, swimming in a retro atmosphere. Romantic, moody and full of slow and cerebral sensibilities. ‘las delicias del no ser’ also has a blues flow. The instrumentals hold a lighter gradient in this track, but it it smooth and moody nevertheless. 

‘manifesto (en todas las cosas)’ is ardent and driving. Rap meets nu metal meets atmospheric harmonies meets alt electronica. It is as diverse as it gets. The energy bursts out of the sonic frames, full of an urgency. The rhythm holds that pace, the vocal reinforce it and it comes around full circle. The bridge and outro culminate with layered atmosphere, with textures and sounds flying across like debris in a storm. It is immersive, atmospheric and incredibly affecting. 

‘siento’ is a musical cinema that travels through such incredible valleys of style and vision. ‘antidepresivos ii’ starts with church accordions. Slow rap verses graduate progressively, becoming spitting verses that develop into the choral harmonies that flood into the soundscape. There are classical/ orchestral formations. However, those structures and populated with modern elements, warping it into an alternative reality. 

‘espinosa’ has that feel good, Mexican blues style. It dallies through the soundscape. It gains a trap dimension and a rap verse. However, the swag and the groove is not something that ever dies within this soundscape. Lastly, ‘sueño de vida’, a fitting concluding track that sets up a grand show. It is raised with an energy, an intensity that takes over the brain, the body. 

There’s a soul here in this album that is trying to make sense of itself. Of the human experience that it is going through. Each tracks details an inner landscape, with an effort to capture the complexity, the layers and the human rage that comes with it. It’s powerful because it’s raw, honest and full of candor. Each track has a convoluted design. Starts at one point and ends up in a totally different place. It’s all in a flow state, a stream of consciousness almost. Which is where this album is born from and exists within. A great piece of modern musical art. It’s not just music. Listen Now!

The album is available for streaming on popular sites like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music! 

You can listen to ‘antidepresivos’ by Oscar here -