Christian Treon and Paul DiRico of the band Oddysseys. Photo Courtesy of: Oddysseys
Christian Treon arrived at Fiore’s Bakery in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts, straight from Logan Airport, all style and class, while Paul DiRico appeared shortly after, equipped with a Fender beanie and infectious laugh.
They’re the creative minds behind the promising band Oddysseys. They reside in Chicago, a city home to a music scene that keeps Treon and DiRico on their toes. They just finished a tour with Connecticut band Glambat, which included a concert in Providence. Odyssey means journey, a theme the Boston natives embrace. Compare their light, atmospheric first track, “Daze Inn” from 2015, with any of the eight songs on their latest release, the industrial Softcore, and you will get the idea.
They sound like different bands.
Explore the discography inbetween, and what you get is an auditory ombre effect, cohesive chapters bleeding into the next. Their style is in a world of its own, somewhere between dream and reality – think a hearty brew of Sonic Youth and Joy Division with a twist of Eyedress. They identify as post-punk and they have experimented with various genres including: dream pop, which is influenced by neo-psychedelia; shoegaze, a style characterized by ethereal vocals and feedback laden guitars; and vaporwave, a branch of electronic music.
The duo’s combined talents work together seamlessly, sprung from a creative well that never seems to run dry. Oddysseys’ music is reviving, operating like a heart defibrillator, and they have no intention of turning off the shock factor.
DiRico admires renowned rock band Paramore precisely for their metamorphic abilities.
“They’re [Paramore] great at that, reinventing their sound and staying relevant,” DiRico said. “I think we’re on the right track. We are that way.”
Watching and listening to “Pink Floyd: The Wall” film and album dismantled Treon’s preconceived notions about music. The iconic concept album features 26 songs, and the film brings them to life through a combination of animation and live-action sequences. Pink Floyd blended multiple genres and styles to create an original experience.
“I saw Roger Waters perform ‘The Wall’ in 2010,” Treon said. “I was 14 years old and my mom surprised me with two tickets. We were on the floor, eight rows away from the stage. She knew how much I loved it. I had no idea what a concert could be.”
The Oddysseys song “Fever Dreams” epitomizes their experimental background, featuring audio of kindergarten students Treon recorded when living in Germany, perhaps subconsciously influenced by Pink Floyd, he admits. Treon’s rich vocals subdue the listener into a rhythmic paralysis like a snake charmer, with DiRico’s thumping bass playing off the echoing guitar, timbales, bongos, and saxophone. All in all, it’s just another brick in Oddysseys’ wall of sound.
The track also birthed their unofficial motto, “cigarettes and coffee,” a lyric in the song that has become a slogan on their t-shirts and in photos from fans smoking and/or sipping.
A testament to their unique perspective on songwriting is the upcoming release “Pansy.” A driving jam that gathers irresistible momentum over three minutes. You can feel the tension between Treon’s floating vocals as they hover above the building guitar and DiRico’s insistent drumming. It’s a track that would fit comfortably on Swervedriver’s Mezcal Head. The inspiration for the song was unusual. After a friend purchased second-hand dishes decorated with pansies, he joked that the band members couldn’t write a song that would be better than his new China.
“I absolutely could,” said Treon. “And you have no idea what I can or can’t do, so don’t dare challenge me.”
Although joking, “Pansy” confirms this is a band that thrives when challenged. They clearly expect the same from their fans by their willingness to reinvent themselves when it would be easier to settle into a crowd pleasing formula. As if to underscore that willingness to change, they titled the second song on their latest album “Shape Shifter.”
What do they love about music?
“It takes you places you didn’t know existed or that you would ever be able to get to or go to,” Treon said. “[Music] has the ability to transform all of your surroundings and your mood. Take you to the lowest of the low or it can take you to ecstasy in a minute…It took us all over the country, it took us to Canada, and now it’s taking us here.”
WRIU will air everything Oddysseys on Feb. 6th, 1-2 p.m.
Oddysseys’ music is available on all streaming platforms. Follow the band on Instagram @oddysseys and on Facebook!