“I always
challenge myself to do something that makes me uncomfortable,” artist tells
American Songwriter; Four-song “Not Acoustic” EP arrives Jan. 28th.
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East of Eden
Out Now
(Caballo Negro)
STREAM FULL LP
Track Listing:
02. Lost Space (STREAM | VIDEO)
03. Which Way (STREAM | VIDEO)
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
“A wild man.” — Paste
J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits
Out Now
(Caballo Negro)
STREAM FULL LP
Track Listing:
02. Strange (STREAM | VIDEO)
03. El Desgraciado
04. No Situation
05. El Chucho
06. On A Saturday
07. Lightning Rod Salesman
08. Bubble Gum
09. Black Sparrow
10. Anarchy
11. A Fools Moon
12. Syn Illusión
J Hacha De Zola | In The Press
“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
“A challenging, at times daunting, listen.” — BLURT
“Mutant blues rock.” — Treble
“A modern day Frank
Zappa.” — Adam’s World
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J Hacha De Zola | About
For his fifth album, East of Eden (Caballo Negro, Out Now), 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, is out now.
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J Hacha De Zola | Links
ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : BANDCAMP : SPOTIFY : APPLE
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Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact
WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : INSTAGRAM : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
“As enticing as it is distant and strange.” — MAGNET
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