Four of the five members of Odisseo formed the band in Ecatepac de Morelos, in the greater metropolitan area of Mexico City, in 2010. The band’s name is a portmanteau of the Spanish words for “hate” and “desire,” reflecting the dramatic emotions in the band’s songs, which often take inspiration from British and American new wave and synth pop, as well as the ‘70s Romantic hits of their homeland. In 2017, Odisseo’s current lineup took shape with the addition of a new lead singer, Juan Pablo Lopez, and the band released its fifth album, Tormentas Inesperadas (Spanish for “unexpected storms”), in July, featuring the singles “Obsesion” and “Amanecidos.”
While remaining independent for most of the band’s career, Odisseo has become a major concert draw with hundreds of millions of streams on Spotify. SPIN caught up with Odisseo guitarist Daniel Leon to learn more about the band’s influences and their unique model for success.
More from Spin:
This is Odisseo, the TuneCore/SPIN Artist of the month:
Your band’s name is a combination of the words for “hate” and “desire.” Do you ever listen to a newer song like “Obsesion” and realize that those two themes still drive your songs?
Hate and desire are always present. We understand that love often comes with its own share of suffering [laughs]. In every romantic relationship, there’s a spectrum of emotions between love and hate, and that’s where our songs find their place. In Latin America, we have a special love for heartbreak, and at Odisseo, it’s our specialty to create songs about it.
Do you all have different favorite albums in the Odisseo catalog, or are you one of those bands that generally likes your latest album best?
Each album has its own magic. But when we release a new album, it reflects how we’re living in the present. We like to think of each new album as our best work, so we can go out there and advocate for it with everything we’ve got.
The American music you’ve been influenced by seems to be a mix of ‘80s New Wave and the 2000s bands that put their own spin on that sound. Do you feel closer, in generation or in spirit, to those later bands like The Killers or The Strokes, or do they feel like a distant part of rock history to you like ‘80s bands?
Honestly, most of our influence comes from artists like The Strokes and The Killers, bands we listened to when we were teenagers. Thanks to them, we started exploring the artists they were inspired by, and that’s how we discovered the musical universe of decades we didn’t get to live through. That’s how we found music by artists like Daryl Hall & John Oates, Berlin, and Lou Reed.
We combined these references with leading figures of romantic music in Latin America, such as José José and Juan Gabriel.
You’ve had a lot of success as an independent band, but your second album Dias de Fuego was released through a major label. What experiences did you have in the music industry that led you to go independent again for your last three albums?
Our experience with a major label wasn’t what we expected. We realized we weren’t a priority for them, which slowed down the pace at which we wanted to move forward. The label was holding us back.
Fortunately, we had the chance to mutually agree to part ways with the label. From that point forward, Odisseo entered a new phase of financial stability. The band members became the primary investors and gained full ownership of the masters of our last three albums.
Does being an independent band mean more work for the members of the band outside of making the music, or is it more about having a team around you so that you can function well as a business?
In our case, we have a small team—just the five of us and our manager. This setup allows us to divide the work according to each band member’s strengths.
Mike, our manager, and I handle strategy planning and administrative tasks to help the band move forward. We outsource booking and press work to professional agents, and we distribute our music through TuneCore, which helps us create a healthy ecosystem for managing various projects.
Juan and I collaborate on all of Odisseo’s visual communication needs, while Rodolfo enjoys planning music videos. This way, we gradually divide tasks based on our individual talents and interests.
How quickly did Odisseo evolve from a few guys getting together and playing songs to being a real career or job?
It’s been a long journey. We understand that it all started as a teenage dream, but with each passing year, the band has grown, and we’ve learned how to turn that dream into a professional reality.
We love that even after 14 years of making music, we’re still those same kids having fun, but now with a thriving business that works to our benefit.
Was it intimidating to go independent again and also debut a new lead singer on Seasonal Change? Was there a point in that process were you saw encouraging signs that this big transition was going to work out well for the band?
In the beginning, we weren’t planning to continue with the band, as a change of singer is one of the biggest challenges that no one wants to face. However, our friendship and passion for what we had built together in Odisseo’s early years were too strong. So we thought: we have nothing to lose, let’s give it a try!
And that bold decision has led us to make the most successful songs of our career, which came after the change of vocalist.
Some of your earlier music videos had dramatic storylines with actors, while your more recent videos tend to be performance-driven. Did you make a deliberate decision to center the videos more on the band playing instruments?
We understand that it’s part of the business. Most of our singles have a music video to promote them, but since we’re a bit shy, we don’t always enjoy appearing in them. However, for this new album, we felt it was important for the fans to see us playing on screen again. They get really excited when we’re on screen, so we put our shyness aside and gave a great performance in the “Amanecidos” video.
I’ve always admired bands that split songwriting credits equally among all members. Does that practice reflect any philosophical stance for Odisseo about how you share in the work as well as the profits, or did it just feel like a natural thing to do without giving it much thought?
Splitting credits is crucial for us because, historically, many bands have broken up over issues related to this. In Odisseo, each member has a different percentage, but this arrangement benefits everyone. Our songs are our legacy, and they have the potential to generate earnings indefinitely.
This distribution is an important agreement that helps ensure our friendship remains strong and that each member has a secure future.
Does each member simply write the parts they play or sing, or is there more collaboration between members in developing the different parts of each song?
We are very close and musically, we connect really well. Of course, we always try to help each other, offering recommendations and sharing musical references to bring out the best in each of us. It doesn’t matter if the synth player comes up with a melody for the vocals or if the guitar player has an idea for the bass—ultimately, it’s all for the good of our songs.
Are there a lot of other bands in Mexico that you feel a close kinship to or feel like you are peers creatively?
In Mexico, there’s a generation of incredible bands similar to us. We can say we have a lot in common with Enjambre, and we’re good friends. I believe the world should take notice of what’s being created in our country, as bands like Odisseo, Enjambre, Little Jesus, and Camilo Séptimo are becoming massive artists. I highly recommend you go listen to them right now!
Some bands never release EPs once they’ve moved to making full-length albums, but Odisseo has released a few EPs in between albums. Do you find it important to be able to release shorter projects in between albums? Does independence give you more flexibility to do that?
Of course, independence gives you the freedom to play your cards differently. In Mexico, it’s very common to release EPs when you’re just starting out in the scene. This format helps reduce the cost of making a full album but still gives you the opportunity to release music and start building a fanbase.
In Odisseo, we’ve used EPs as a bridge between our full-length albums, so we always have something new to offer our fans.
Have you already achieved a lot of your goals, whether in terms of touring or creative accomplishments? Are there any big mountains you’re still trying to climb professionally?
We’re fortunate to have achieved the goals we once dreamed of when we first started. But each time we reach a goal, a new one emerges, and we work hard to make it happen.
In Mexico, we began by playing for just 40-50 people, and now we’re performing for audiences of 10,000—it’s unbelievable!
Our next goal is to play even bigger concerts in our own country. We also dream of building a strong fanbase among Latinx audiences in the USA and across Latin America. We still have many dreams to chase; we’re only halfway there.
Odisseo’s fall 2024 tour dates:
Aug 31st – Monterrey @ Foro Tims
Oct 5th – Morelia @ Teatro Álamos
Oct 10th -Toluca @ Teatro Morelos w/Esteman
Nov 2nd – Estate of Mexico @ Festival Amigo
Nov 9th – Mexicali @ Festival Cachanilla
Nov 23rd – Puebla @ Festival Tecate Comuna
Nov 28th – San Luis Potosí @ Container Park
Nov 29th – Querétaro @ Foro Arpa
To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
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Publish date : 2024-09-04 06:36:00
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