Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter and guitarist, Oceanator, moniker of Elise Okusami has released the album Everything is Love and Death, her most recent since Nothing’s Ever Fine in 2022. The album will feature a similar musical landscape to previous themes explored on her debut and sophomore efforts. Many of Oceanator’s songs combine themes of love and apocalypse, meshing them into a symphony that is appeasing and captivating to her ever growing audience. The album’s opener “First Time” highlights Okusami’s vocals welcoming listeners through guiding them into her world through storytelling. The track urges listeners along with a sound that is familiar and engaging. The production is accompanied by riffing guitars as the snare of a drum kick invites listeners to get up and dance to the infectious melody. Lyrically, the song talks about the heightened stakes of a familiar love and the hardship of whether to continue this longing and yearning for that person — “The first time that I saw you / I didn’t know you’d turn my life upside down.” The protagonist is deeply enthralled in meeting this person for the first time and the use of a heavy loud rock band in the track’s production, easily makes this a song listeners will come back to for a long time.
Oceanator’s production use of shredding guitars within Everything is Love and Death, emphasizes her themes of love and apocalypse with a grand and clearer vision. Through commanding our attention with rhythmic beats, hook driven melodies and guitar productions, listeners are eased into an event that stays with them like a memory. The lead single, “Get Out” is anthemic and demands attention at first listen. The screech of a kick drum pulls our attention with swift swirls that slowly build into a climax of chaotic tempo and rhythm. The accompanying music video directed by Zachary Hughes features Oceanator battling inner demons of the mind. The song is an exhilarating piece of urgency and showcases the strength to persevere through hardship. Okusami’s piercing vocals are set against a production that is catchy and will entice any listener looking to start their night with an infectious beat and rhythm. Lyrically, the song is about Okusami up against her inner demons, such as depression and anxiety. The chorus sets it up: “get up, get up, get out tonight / I’m not going down without a fight.” The music video is a treat and pays homage to shows about vampire slaying such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the end, Oceanator is victorious and triumphant.
Everything is Love and Death was produced by Will Yip. Additional performers on the album include: Elise Okusami (guitar, bass, synth, vocals, drums), Mike Okusami (Bass, piano), Will Yip (drums, percussion, additional key pads), Andrew Whitehurst (additional drums), Eric Sherman (Trumpet), David Haik (Timpani), Megan Siebe (Cello), Mattheson Glass, Miri Devora and Josh Hernandez (Gang vocals). The production on Everything is Love and Death is a culmination of a cacophony of guitars combined with the vision of Okusami’s mastery of instruments, leading to a cohesive album that submerges its audience into an unknown world. Another highlighting earworm that will captivate new and old fans of Oceanator is “Drift Away.” Its intro is pulsating and slow, easing listeners into the abyss of shifting guitars and lyrical fantasy, “Only thing left to do is to give into the fear / Sail away, sail away, run away.” The result is a static and mesmerizing scenario of giving into fear and wonder.
The album’s closer, “Won’t Someone,” is a beautiful finale of guitars that gently guide the listener towards the heart and core of the album’s musical landscape. It is a landscape Oceanator continues to explore and further the boundaries of in indie rock music. Furthermore, Everything is Love and Death is an album that announces itself through pulsating percussion, Okusami’s intense vocal delivery and mesmerizing production. Oceanator is slowly building her legacy within the everchanging musical landscape and is an artist that will continue to grow as time goes by. This album is recommended for both old and new fans of Oceanator and to anyone with an ear for an album that commands attention through its production, memorable songs and instrumentalists. It is an immersive experience that is a joy from beginning to end. One that grabs its audience and doesn’t let go.
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