Oceanator: A new artist with a fresh take on our hard times!

Even though I’m not the kind of person who’s always on the lookout for new music and new artists, there are times where I accidentally stumble across new hidden gems that eventually grow on me and I feel proud of myself. 

Something like this happened when I searched for “ocean blues” and the artist “Oceanator” came up in the YT music search. But, despite what her name suggests, her music style has nothing to do with ocean blues and relaxing music, but something more symbolic and profound ( I assume that’s what she thought when she came up with this name). It’s a special concoction of dark Indie rock, 80s electronica, and grunge-y pop.

So I looked her up and her music and I’m glad I did. This NY-native artist (her real name is Elise Okusami) may not have the whole flashy package and star charisma that other artists possess, but she definitely has something unique to offer.

Her first album attempt named “Things I Never Said”, released in August 2020, is not something you’d hear to entertain yourself but something totally introspective that manages to stir up an ocean of deeply-rooted emotions. The whole album and lyrics follow an “end of the world” theme and you can tell that she wrote this during the tumultuous pandemic times we’ve all had to face. It’s an ode to the uncertainty, nihilism, and escapism of our times, heightened with gloomy yet subtly hopeful  lyrics that take you on a journey from a dark and unfamiliar place, a tunnel if you wish, to a place of light and hope-”who knows if there’ll be tomorrow?”, “There is a crack in the world”  but “If the world fell apart tomorrow, I would find you” and finally “I’m going outside today, I feel like things might be ok”. Afterall, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, right? The lyrics are backed up by strong grungy-like guitar riffs and memorable melodies that follow a steady pace throughout the album, with few random shifts in the tempo and tonality of the closing songs.

It’s apparent that she didn’t write this in a heartbeat, there is a lot of thought and soul-searching that went into this creation and “Things I Never Said” is a perfect creative outlet for her feelings during lockdown. As her last album focuses on these stresses and uncertainty that pandemic brought up, I’m not sure which path she’ll follow on her next album, but I’m certain she will come up with something just as deep, unique and thoughtful as she is definitely an effortless talent with a great potential to tap into a more unique audience.