Wednesday, November 28, 2018

J Hacha De Zola takes detour from Urban Junkyard sound with new synth-driven, all-Spanish language EP, “Syn Illusión,” out now.

PopMatters says title song about unrequited love will “inspire a legion of imitators.” “Syn Illusión video streaming now at Sound Vapors.

+++


J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Robin Souma

+++

PLAY, POST & SHARE


“J Hacha De Zola sings a song of unrequited love with ‘Syn Illusión’. As songs on the matter go, this is one that’s bound to light the way forward and inspire a legion of imitators.” — PopMatters | Listen to J Hacha de Zola’s “Syn Illusión” at PopMatters or via the link below!


+++

  

“Heavy on the 80’s synth sound, the lead single and title of the album, is intriguing.  It’s as if the late Michael Hutchence decided to partner with Joy Division and create a driving, emotional opus.” – Sound Vapors with the “Syn Illusión” video premiere by J Hacha De Zola


+++

“I got in touch with my inner ‘broken-hearted 17-year-old girl from 90’s,” says Rahway, New Jersey-based artist J Hacha De Zola about the title track from his recently released EP, “Syn Illusión,” streaming everywhere now courtesy of the Caballo Negro label. “I think of this as some kind of ‘undead Romeo vampire-like dude crooning about love, power, and magic.”

As Hacha De Zola preps Icaro Nouveau, his fourth album of “Urban Junkyard” tunes, which previously prompting Paste to proclaim him “a wild man in the vein of such fire breathing artists like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Captain Beefheart,” the risk-taking artist has taken an unexpected detour.

“Syn Illusión” an original, all-Spanish language, 80s-era synth-driven EP, could very well open the man that UTNE described as “the kind of alluring character found in old children’s books” to an audience as unexpected as this release is itself.

 “A dear friend challenged me to step outside of this ‘J Hacha’ guy,” Hacha De Zola says. “Maybe ‘J Hacha’ had a more sensitive side; maybe that guy would write a record in Spanish, my first language. I originally went into this idea of a record in Spanish telling myself, ‘I’m just going to do a stripped down Hacha record, but it didn’t turn out that way at all!’”

‘Syn Illusión’ means ‘without delusion’ in Spanish,” Hacha De Zola continues, “but it also refers to the heavy synth sounds on this EP.” The “stripped down” J Hacha De Zola sound that he says he was going for has actually turned out to be his most produced effort to date. “My producer had all these really cool vintage synths, keyboards, Mellotrons, farfisas and retro synth emulators in the studio, so I thought, “well hell, let’s go heavy with these! I love retro 80’s synth sounds.”

 J Hacha De Zola albums (including his upcoming 2019 full-length Icaro Nouveau, produced by Dinosaur Jr, Waxahatchee visionary, John Agnello), tend to pull from various musical bags, which Blurt Magazine described “a compelling all-over-the-map collision of jazz, blues, show tunes, garage rock, and Latino flavors. At points, hypnotic, cinematic, lush, and dissonant.” The four songs on “Syn Illusión” are none of that.

 “Despite the lyrics and vocals being in Spanish, the music is essentially just one thing,” Hacha De Zola says, “it’s not Latin by any stretch; it’s some kind of dreamy emo synth pop.” One may be reminded of the opening strains of Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” or Irene Cara’s film theme “Flashdance… What A Feeling,” a brilliant stroke that someone needed to make happen sooner or later.

  “Syn Illusión,” the new EP by J Hacha De Zola, is out now via the Caballo Negro label. Hacha De Zola’s fourth full-length album Icaro Nouveau is scheduled for release in early 2019. Hacha de Zola is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

+++

J Hacha De Zola
‘Syn Illusión’ EP
(Caballo Negro)
Out Now


Track Listing:

01. Syn Illusión (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)
02. Otro Lado
03. Lejos De Mi
04. El Mago Negro

+++

J Hacha De Zola Links


+++

Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion


Tuesday, November 27, 2018

Alex Lilly, just off arena tour as member of Beck’s touring band, preps debut “2% Milk” for Inara George’s new Release Me Records label.

L.A.-based musician, songwriter, producer, shares new music video with The FADER, latest single “Pornographic Mind” bows via PopMatters.

+++


Alex Lilly as photographed by David Black.

+++




“Pretty freaking awesome. It’s a weird Los Angeles fantasy world where the digital realm crosses into real life and there’s a lot of cats all around,” says The FADER in its premiere coverage of the music video “Distracting Me” by Alex Lilly.


+++



PopMatters writer Jedd Beaudoin calls Alex Lilly, “Madonna with a more poetic bent.” Listen here or at the link below!


+++

Los Angeles-based artist Alex Lilly is a renaissance female.

In addition to the writing, arranging, producing, and playing of her own music, Lilly has established a notable career out on the road as a part of the touring bands of such esteemed musicians Beck, Lorde, Ry Cooder, and the bird and the bee. When Lilly’s in L.A, she has stayed busy throughout the years with her own projects such as Obi Best, The Living Sisters, Touché, and Zero DeZire.

Now Lilly is bringing all of her talents, ideas, and her singular voice to the table in the form of 2% Milk, her debut full-length album, out Jan. 11th, 2019 via newly-formed Release Me Records.

Lilly’s ability to take a song out of the realm of merely entertaining to intriguing is all over the album’s first single “Distracting Me,” a tune dedicated to the idea of enjoying the annoying. “Distracting Me” is available on all major streaming platforms now. The music video for the song is now available via an exclusive premiere at The FADER.

“What better testament to loving someone than when you enjoy their interruptions?” Lilly explains of the tune. Of the video, Lilly says, Jason Greene (aka iconic gender fluid actor, Freckle) had previously killed me in a music video and danced around with my blood. This time I wanted her back in a more playful role as a relentless kitten that pulls me away from my digital addiction.”

The latest single taken from 2% Milk is the intriguingly titled “Pornographic Mind,” also streaming everywhere now. In its premiere coverage of the song, PopMatters says, “The tune is a combination of classic AM radio pop, of the kind that has inspired Lilly’s sometime bandmate Inara George, as well as breezy, late '80s synthesizer pop, think Madonna with a more poetic bent or Belinda Carlisle momentarily expressing an appreciation for the avant-garde.”

Lilly’s songs – she describes her sound as “sexy psychological thriller” – are synthy, syrupy, and suspicious i.e. there’s something going on here that’s not only pop, but actually pops. The intrigue that abounds on 2% Milk moves the listener beyond toe-tapping and finger-snapping, straight to brain-mapping.

2% Milk, the debut album from Alex Lilly, is scheduled for release on Jan. 11th, 2019, preceded by the singles “Distracting Me,” and “Pornographic Mind,” out now.

Alex Lilly is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

+++

Alex Lilly – Live

(*= w/ KOLARS)

01/10/2019: Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers (Record Release Show)
01/20/2019: Los Angeles, CA The Federal Bar (Mimosa Music Series)
02/21/2019: San Diego, CA @ Casbah *
02/22/2019: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo *
02/23/2019: Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones *
03/01/2019: Costa Mesa, CA @ Wayfarer *
03/21/2019: Denver, CO @ Larimar Lounge *
03/22/2019: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
03/28/2019: Eugene, OR @ Wildcraft Cider Works *
03/29/2019: Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern *
03/30/2019: Portland, OR @ Doug Fir *

+++

Alex Lilly
2% Milk
Jan. 11th, 2019
(Release Me)
  

Track Listing:

01. Confucius Says
02. 2% Milk
03. Distracting Me (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)
04. Pornographic Mind (STREAM | MP3)
05. Boomerang
06. Night Drive
07. Infantile
08. Cold Snap
09. Hypothetical
10. Firefly

+++

Alex Lilly Links


+++

Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion


Monday, November 19, 2018

Married “dreampop gem” (Paste) duo Fawns of Love drops “Mournful Eyes,” second single from upcoming “Permanent” album.

Listen to track via L.A.-based music discovery website Grimy Goods now. Band’s music video for “Someday” also streaming now.

+++


Fawns of Love (L-R): Jenny Andreotti, Joseph Andreotti. Photo credit: Jenny Andreotti.

+++

Fawns of Love – In The Press

“A dreampop gem.” — Paste

“Would fit right in at David Lynch’s Roadhouse” — MAGNET

“The soft gauze of Cocteau Twins and Slowdive. Perfectly woozy.” — FLOOD

“There is obsessive joy in the Fawns of Love’s take on shoegaze.” — The Big Takeover

“Psychedelic dream pop.” — MXDWN

+++

PLAY, POST & SHARE



“Bathed in all manner of sublime synth and guitar-murmuring dreaminess.”

Hear the latest single “Mournful Eyes” at Grimy Goods or the link below!


+++


+++

Married Bakersfield, California-based shoegaze / dreampop duo Fawns of Love (Jenny and Joseph Andreotti) has shared “Mournful Eyes,” the latest single from the band’s upcoming sophomore album Permanent (and first as new signees to Test Pattern Records, out Jan. 18th, 2019.) The song premiered via Grimy Goods and is now available on all streaming services.

Additionally, the Andreottis have posted the music video for the new album’s first single “Someday,” which can be seen now courtesy of The Joy of Violent Movement blog, which said, “The recently released video for ‘Someday’ features some lush, black and white photography and black and white stock video footage to evoke a creepy and anxious air, all while recalling ‘120 Minutes’-era MTV.”

Both full-time educators – Joseph teaches middle school, Jenny is a full-time instructor at CSU-Bakersfield – the Andreottis have been married for 13 years, performing together for 16, and recording, touring and releasing music throughout that time under various names and labels. In 2013, they began a break when Jenny enrolled in a history graduate program, but by 2017, it was time to begin being a band again, including choosing a new name.

“One of our favorite records is Hounds of Love by Kate Bush,” Joseph says. “We wanted a name that would pay homage to that.”

 In addition to Kate Bush, additional influences on Fawns of Love include familiar names such as The Chills, Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Blur, Pulp, Slowdive, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Sparks.

 Fawns of Love takes all of these legendary sounds, which some might think of as cold or aloof, and makes them pop with overtones of The Smiths, New Order, and the warmth that comes from the Andreotti’s many years of making music together.

Permanent, the second full-length by Fawns of Love, is scheduled for release on Jan. 18th, 2019 by Test Pattern Records, preceded by the singles “Someday,” and “Mournful Eyes,” both streaming now. Jenny and Joseph Andreotti are available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

+++

Fawns of Love
Permanent
(Test Pattern Records)
Jan. 18th, 2019
  

Track Listing:

01. Someday (STREAM | MP3 | VIDEO)
02. December
03. Horoscope
04. Permanent
05. Mournful Eyes (STREAM | MP3)
06. Divine
07. Anarchy & Kisses
08. Wasted Days

+++

Fawns of Love Links


+++

Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion


Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Boston-by-way-of-San-Francisco’s Jane Frank pens earworm-y folk-rock dis track, “Practical Jackets”. Debut LP arrives Dec. 14th.

“She owns the song and its message with unwavering confidence and inveterate wit,” says For Folk’s Sake. Single streaming now.

+++


Jane Frank as photographed by Iran Ramirez.

+++


 “If Weezer wrote a smash hit called ‘Buddy Holly’, Jane Frank inhabits a space in her sound that blends the former’s knack for captivating with breezy matter-of-factness with the actual Buddy Holly’s pure sense of confounding cool. She owns the song and its message with unwavering confidence and inveterate wit.” – Jonathan Frahm, For Folk’s Sake



+++

“I hate all your practical jackets, Dress like you’re 40 when you’re only 37,” sings Jane Frank on “Practical Jackets,” the lead single from her upcoming debut album The Big Squeeze, out Dec. 14th.   The song is essentially a quirky, spastic, but still solidly rhythmic, toe-tapping indie rock version of a dis track.

 ‘Practical Jackets’ is about when you’re heartbroken, but you’re still in love, and you’re so mad, but since you’re in love, you want to hate the person, but you can’t, so you just act shallow and petty instead,” Frank explains. Hear the song now via For Folk Sake’s premiere coverage here.

+++

“I asked her how to write a song,” the Boston-by-way-of-San-Francisco-based musician recalls.

Frank interviewed Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley when the former was a reporter for her college newspaper. Frank was thinking about becoming a songwriter herself – she had been writing her whole life – journals, stories, and now journalism – but the process of songwriting baffled her.

 Fortunately, Frank figured it out.

Jane Frank’s upcoming debut album is comprised of gutsy, autobiographical songs with influences that range from the 1950s (Buddy Holly), the 70s (Blondie), into the 90s with Weezer, and all the way up to the indie rock surge with the aforementioned Rilo Kiley.

 Add in Frank’s musical theater background, and The Big Squeeze may seem like a scattered amalgam of styles and influences on the page, but when heard, outlines a unique, memorable voice and fun style that is all Frank’s.

 “There’s a pop-punk song, an R&B-inspired song, a waltz with a beat, some synth. It’s all there,” she explains.

 Recalling the first year of creation following her fateful interview with Jenny Lewis, Frank remembers, “I bought a guitar, taught myself some chords, and wrote a lot of songs.” Frank later spent seven years developing those songs, show, and sound in San Francisco before her recent jump to Boston to further her education.

 “Through all the moving around, music has been such a huge part of my journey and healing,” she concludes. “Even when I’m not making music, I’m listening and am constantly inspired or consoled.”

 And that’s how you write a song.

The Big Squeeze, the debut album from Jane Frank, is scheduled for release on Dec. 14th, 2018, preceded by the single and music video “Practical Jackets,” out now.

Jane Frank is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

+++

Jane Frank
The Big Squeeze
Dec. 14th, 2018
(S/R)
  

Track Listing:

01. Washington
02. Can’t Stop Thinkin’ ‘Bout You
03. Fight or Flight
04. Goldeneye
05. You’re a Star
06. If I Didn’t Know Better
07. Practical Jackets (STREAM | MP3)
08. It Was a Good Dream
09. Oh Science
10. I Believed in You
11. The Big Squeeze

+++

Jane Frank Links


+++

Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion


El Paso-based dreampop trio Sleepspent, led by 22-year-old Austin North, addresses mental health issues on standalone single, out now.

Band out on tour now supporting latest track, current Chris Common (Minus The Bear)-produced EP. Hear “California” at Substream.

+++


Sleepspent (L-R): Grant Gonzalez, Austin North, Josh Mendoza. Photo credit: Jesse Maynes.

+++

PLAY, POST & SHARE


Sleepspent
“California” Single
(Slow Start Records)
Out Now



+++

Sleepspent – On Tour

11/10/2018: El Paso, TX @ Lucchese East
11/11/2018: Albuquerque, NM @ Moonlight Lounge
11/13/2018: Denver, CO @ Seventh Circle
11/14/2018: Fort Collins, CO @ Pinball Jones
11/15/2018: Omaha, NE @ The B Bar
11/17/2018: Kansas City, KS @ House Show
11/18/2018: Oklahoma City, OK @ The Root
11/19/2018: Amarillo, TX @ The 806
11/20/2018: Lubbock, TX @ Downtown Social Club
11/24/2018: Tucson, AZ @ House Show
11/25/2018: Indio, CA @ Club 5
11/30/2018: Reno, NV @ St. James Infirmary
12/01/2018: Fallon, NV @ The Telegraph
12/02/2018: Las Vegas, NV @ The Beauty Bar
12/04/2018: Tucson, AZ @ Monterey Court
12/05/2018: Phoenix, AZ @ The Lunchbox
12/06/2018: Bisbee, AZ @ The Quarry

+++

PLAY, POST & SHARE



Check out “Come Smile With Me” by Sleepspent at All Things Go and see the video at Popdust (or at the links below!)



+++

“Deep, focused vocals seem to glide effortlessly through a dense fog. This may be the perfect soundtrack to the morning.” — All Things Go

‘California’ came from a place of desperation, from a feeling of being trapped in a painful and hopeless situation,” explains 22-year-old Austin North, the leader of El Paso-based dreampop trio Sleepspent. The song is a new standalone single, released on the eve of the band’s fall tour (see itinerary above.) “I’ve suffered with mental health issues for years now,” North continues, “I have been in some situations that have made my struggle much more difficult.  This song is a reflection of those feelings as they escalated, and shows a very personal experience that happened in California. I hope it sheds light on the struggles people with mental illness go through.”

Sleepspent also recently released its first official music video, for the song “Come Smile With Me,” off of its current EP “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think”.

 “The video involves me kicking people out of a party,” says North. “It kind of replicates the contrast that the song has. Sonically, it makes sense to soundtrack a house party, but lyrically it is much more introspective and contemplative than a stereotypical party track. The lyrics involve sleep and silence, and so it feels appropriate to showcase the song with the end of a party, when one is exhausted and just wants to rest.”

North began performing as a UC San Diego student before eventually returning to his hometown of El Paso to form Sleepspent. The band, now a trio including Grant Gonzalez on bass and Josh Mendoza on drums, released its Chris Common (Minus The Bear, Chelsea Wolfe, Le Butcherettes)-produced debut “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think earlier this year.  

North’s knack for creating music that is bathed in atmosphere (think Slowdive mixed with a more reverb-y Radiohead, led by a guitarist with an effects pedal fetish) that doesn’t lean away from authentic lyricism and captivating vocal performances (think Jeff Buckley) is proven on “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think”.

“We’re also definitely inspired by shoegaze and dreampop,” North says, elaborating on Sleepspent’s sound. “That can be heard in the alternate tunings used throughout our music as well as the melodic chord progressions and melodies.”

The new Sleepspent single “California,” as well the current EP “It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think,” are both out now via Slow Start Records. Austin North is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

+++

Sleepspent
“It’s Better If You Don’t Speak Or Think” EP
(Slow Start Records)
Out Now
  

Track Listing:

01. Something (LISTEN | MP3)         
02. Roots
03. Come Smile With Me (LISTEN | MP3 | VIDEO)
04. Stars
05. Cracking
06. What's The Rush?

+++

Sleepspent Links


+++

Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion