Melancholy Music From the Middle of the World: Pánico Nelson Serrano
The rainy season looms over Ecuador once again. The sky deepens in shade and cobblestone streets darken with water stains. The often vivid capital, Quito, seems to be thrown into a bout of seasonal depression… Not much can be made in these times of gloom, but what does manage to appear reflects the environment in a way that hits the soul. “Depressive micro-pop” band, Pánico, is no exception. I first listened to this band during a universal time of doom and gloom, quarantine. I was staying up very late one night, letting myself be dragged deep into the youtube algorithm, when I had a realization: I was yet to find Latin music that fit my mood. I began to look for indie artists from my homeland, but their style did not elicit much of a reaction. Many of them had adopted a generic U.S bedroom-pop sound that lacked character. That was until I came across an hour-long video titled “Ecuadorian Doomer Music vol.1.” I was hesitant to listen at first.The Wojak in the thumbnail paired with the unironic use of “Doomer” were immediate red-flags. However, I gave the playlist a chance, and it was honestly one of the best decisions I made during quarantine. Between post-punk, folk and surf rock, it felt as though I had just rediscovered music. As I lay on my bed with eyes closed, I saw myself walking through a worn film of my memory. The melancholy sounds of the playlist put a filter on my thoughts,and at that moment, I felt myself returning to my childhood; going to the historical district with my grandparents, driving up steep inclines that run along clusters of buildings, and of course, staying in on drab, cloudy days. This heightened emotional state made the music so much more intense. And then I heard “Los Muertos” for the first time. “Los Muertos” was everything I was looking for. It was the intersection between the “Pasillos” of my grandparents’ generation and the bitter lyricism of Elliot Smith’s whispery vocals. It was love at first listen. From there, I delved into Pánico’s (Spotify) album discography. Beginning with Axis Mundi (2014), Pánico established their morbid themes but infused them with a variety of other Latin American musical styles like Boleros and Cumbias. The songs are heavily influenced by indigenous Andean culture, featuring instruments not conventionally heard in North American music like tiples, cuatros, and charangos. Additionally, the songs maintain a lo-fi feel that adds to the grit in the words. No. (2014), released later that year, incorporates more bass-driven melodies and post-punk elements than their NF009 | 5
