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Friday, May 14, 2021
J Hacha De Zola leaves “urban junkyard” sound of his previous albums for natty white suit of a crooner. Stunning “Lost Space” single out now.
Fifth album East of Eden (June 11th) is
artist’s most accessible work yet, inspired by Doo-wop, Motown, Sha Na Na,
Temptations, Four Seasons. +++
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by
Christine Samaroo +++
J Hacha De Zola | “Lost Space”
Check
out the first single from J Hacha De
Zola’s upcoming fifth album East of Eden via Glide
Magazine or the link below! Glide Magazine says, “Lost
Space” is “a song that encapsulates his new sound. With a slinky groove
that feels well-suited for a darkly lit lounge, Hacha De Zola channels his inner Jim Morrison as he croons about the tragedy and pitfalls of
isolation. As one might expect, the song was inspired by his own experiences –
of which many of us share – of being alone throughout the past year. But even
though the lyrics come from a sad place, there is something funky and soulful
to the song that might come from the combination of saxophone, dreamy guitar,
and airy harmonies, all of which come together to make this one satisfying
tune.” [STREAM]: https://Fanatic.lnk.to/JHachaDeZola-LostSpace +++
J Hacha De Zolaspeaks
in-depth with Amaris Pollinger
of New Jersey
Digest about his career and the upcoming new album East of Eden. Polinger calls the record “A poetic triumph whose musical
transition from circus hellfire echoes the musical transition made by Nick Cave from The Birthday Party to The
Bad Seeds—with a dash of John Denver,
the smokey haze of The Gun Club, Kid Congo Powers & The Pink Monkey
Birds. And of course, Nick
himself. J Hacha De Zola has turned
himself inside out, purging himself of anxiety, and with East of Eden, has come
out rhythmically refined.” [READ]: https://thedigestonline.com/arts-culture/j-hacha-de-zola/ +++ J Hacha De Zola East
of Eden June 11th, 2021 (Caballo
Negro)
Track Listing: 01. Faded 02. Lost Space (STREAM) 03. Which Way 04. East of Eden 05. A Viral Spring 06. Shadows On Glass 07. That Pleading Tone 08. Sad Song 09. Green and Golden 10. Meet Me +++ J Hacha De Zola | In The Press
“A wild man.” — Paste “Alluring and unsettling.” — NJ.com “The kind of alluring character found in old
children’s books.” — UTNE “Dangerously delightful.” — The Big Takeover “Bound to light the way forward and inspire a legion
of imitators.” — PopMatters “Beckoning listeners somewhere exciting.” — BTRtoday “Sits at his own, most likely oddly shaped table.” — Pancakes and Whiskey “No one around left to hit him with any sort of
healthy competition.” — Ghettoblaster “One of the most important and singular artists making
music today.” — Stereo Embers “As enticing as it is distant and strange.” — MAGNET “A challenging, at times daunting, listen.” — BLURT “Mutant blues rock.” — Treble “Possessed and cacophonic.” — Atwood Magazine “The closest thing we have to a modern day Frank
Zappa.” — Adam’s World +++ J Hacha De Zola | About For his fifth album, East of Eden (Caballo Negro, June 11th), J
Hacha De Zola has left the “urban junkyard” of his previous albums and
slipped into a natty white suit. His look is more accessible this time around – see the
dignified vibes of his latest single and album art – and his sound matches. “This record is unlike any other I have made
previously,” the Jersey City-based artist acknowledges. “I stayed focused on
what was truly best for each song, keeping it somewhat simple – at least for me
– rather than allowing myself to become overly self-indulgent in terms of
running away on tangents.” The result is an album that exemplifies the universe
that Hacha De Zola has built over
his four previous albums (as well as EPs that cover ground from the all-Spanish
“Syn Illusión” to his versions of
hits by female pop stars on “UnPOPular”),
while also charting new territory. East of Eden is some kind of place where Jim
Morrison did downers instead of acid in the control room during the
recording of Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig In The Sky.” As Hacha De
Zola tells it, the creation of this record was actually less frenetic than
all that. “I came into the studio with a developed concept, and
the songs written already,” he says. “This time, I had a clear cut direction
ready to go. I have to be honest, I have never really been comfortable with my
singing voice, and I wanted to do something that would be more challenging.” The push pays off, as Hacha De Zola’s vocals are the focus here. Where previous records
saw him vocalizing in a way that complimented the music, this time the music
compliments the man. “A big inspiration for me on East of Eden was the
vocal group tradition from the 1950s and 60s,” he says. “Especially those from
New Jersey, New York, and Detroit. Doo-wop groups like Sha Na Na, The Temptations,
The Four Seasons, and others. Being
a Jersey boy, I couldn’t help but be influenced in the rich vocal singing group
tradition and history in this area.” Digging into the roots of his musical soul, literally
and figuratively, sounds pure in context throughout the new album, and
especially on its pre-release singles “Lost
Space” and “Which Way,” showing
off a level of maturity and thoughtfulness that can only come from the
development that years of album-making brings. “Even with all of its imperfections, it was very
important for me to bring the nuances of the vocal components of this record
right to the front. I truly feel that I have found my own voice,” Hacha De Zola says. With that, he may never return to the “urban junkyard”
and his method of rendering records via his “reductive synthesis” method (read
about it here) ever again. It is a position that is congruent with the
state of the world that longed to “return to normal,” but may never be able to
find the way back to exactly that. “The title of the record reflects that,” Hacha De Zola explains. “East
of Eden, a sense of being left behind or abandoned, banished from the ‘garden.’
Off to the Land of Nod where Cain was banished for murdering his brother, Abel. “It’s a bit of a biblical reference that I found was
quite apt,” he continues. “Especially during this moment of divisiveness among
so many people over so many things. Lyrically, I couldn’t help but infuse many
of these feelings into the songs.” Hacha De
Zola’s “Which Way” single is one that best reflects his hard-won ability
to infuse these real emotions into what has become known as somewhat esoteric
work. “That song was a way of taking inventory of the chaos
and confusion of the moment. It’s a somber song, and it wasn’t an easy one to
write. At the time, it was very difficult to focus on anything other than
trying to protect the vulnerable members of my family and not getting sick. I
had to push myself pretty hard to work through the fear.” His new strength and resolve fits Hacha De Zola well, just like the natty new clothes on his back. East of Eden, the fifth album by J Hacha De
Zola, arrives on June 11th,
2021, preceded by the singles “Lost
Space” on April 30th
and “Which Way” on May 21st. +++ Also Out Now | J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits
Obviously, as a songwriter, J Hacha De Zola and John
Denver come from vastly different places, with different musical ideas… As
for the could-be-ironic, mostly inexplicable, definitely fun tribute that is
the J
Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits album cover, a dead-on approximation of
singer-songwriter John Denver’s own
eponymous and iconic John Denver’s Greatest Hits album
image… Hacha De Zola focuses in on,
and connects with what they have deeply in common, saying, “I loved this idea
of being exactly what you are. Whatever you are, be it.” +++ J Hacha De Zola J
Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits Out Now (Caballo
Negro) Streaming Link: STREAM FULL LP
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