J Hacha De Zola
J Hacha De Zola | EAST OF EDEN LP | “NOT ACOUSTIC” EP | CABALLO NEGRO | OUT NOW / JAN 28th, 2022
ABOUT:
“Not Acoustic” EP (Winter 2022)
Jersey City-based J Hacha De Zola is currently in the studio completing the follow-up to his mid-2021 album East of Eden. After a recent session, he stepped back into the vocal booth to shoot a four-song “visual EP” of songs from his previous releases.
The release, entitled “Not Acoustic,” features Hacha De Zola accompanying his solo vocal takes with spare instrumentation, Spanish spoken intros, false starts, and everything else that makes these performances real and compelling. Even though the audio will drop on all streaming services on Jan. 28th, Hacha De Zola is most excited for the “visual EP” version.
“It’s a special distinction that I want to make here,” he explains. “The performance on video is the main focus. I think that hearing the audio of these performances hits differently. Seeing me do these select tunes in a personal, as if you are in the same room with me kind of way… this is how I want to present this EP.”
The stripped back versions of songs that have earned Hacha De Zola critical acclaim (“Strange” and “Blue Sky” originally appeared on the debut album Escape From Fat Kat City in 2016, “Anarchy” is from 2019’s Icaro Nouveau, and “Lost Space” is a 2021 East of Eden cut) reveals these compositions in a way that Hacha De Zola’s “reductive synthesis” approach to recording could not.
“I want to give a sense of how these songs are fleshed out before ‘studio magic’ comes into play,” he says. “It’s important to see and hear the imperfections. The majority of my songs are written in the studio, but that wasn’t the case with this particular set of tunes, some of my favorite ones at that.”
He concludes, “This is the real me – ugly, imperfect, and flawed – and I hope that maybe other folks will be inspired to express themselves as they are and let the bones fall where they may.”
J Hacha De Zola is currently completing his sixth full-length album for release later in 2022. His “Not Acoustic” EP, a four-song compilation of favorites from his catalog performed solo in the studio is out Jan. 28th, 2022.
ABOUT:
East of Eden (Summer 2021)
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, is out now.
News:
Press Quotes:
“The kind of alluring character found in old children’s books.”
“A wild man in the vein of such fire breathing artists like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Captain Beefheart.”
“Dangerously delightful, whirling, and rhythmic.”
“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.”
“Funky and soulful.”
“Beckoning listeners somewhere exciting and unfamiliar where menace looms heavy in the air. ”
“It’s the perfect panacea for our post-pandemic funk: Weird, but in a good way... he’s emerged as a fully realized artist confident in his ability to be different.”
“The main influence is that of Tom Waits. But if Zola has influences, he also has talent.”
“A poetic triumph... rhythmically refined.”
“J Hacha De Zola’s new noir soul album nails the pervasive darkness of the lockdown era. Imagine Cave backed by the Dap-Kings at their darkest.”
“We could throw comparisons out to other artists/bands/genres around at this point, but firmly believe J Hacha De Zola sits at his own, most likely oddly shaped table.”
“Should brighten or darken your mood depending on your state of mind.”
“Falls so far out of the box, for good or bad, there’s no one around left to hit him with any sort of healthy competition.”
“J Hacha De Zola usually breaths fire on his records, a garage-rockin’ Latin bluesman in the style of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. ”
“A dark and swinging blend of jagged jazz, back alley blues and deliciously demented carnival stomp. Hacha De Zola might very well be one of the most important and singular artists making music today.”
“It’s as if the late Michael Hutchence decided to partner with Joy Division and create a driving, emotional opus.”
“To say that De Zola’s creative process and musical style are unique is an understatement.”
“A large, spinning rock ‘n’ roll affair as enticing as it is distant and strange.”
“Cranks and curdles and clomps around his slithery croon tunes.”
“A swaying barroom roll somewhere between Tom Waits and the Pogues.”
“A twisted, dystopian narrative straight from the mind of John Carpenter.”
“Possibly the wildest record I’ve heard all year. A compelling all-over-the-map collision of jazz, blues, show tunes, garage rock, and Latino flavors. At points, hypnotic, cinematic, lush, and dissonant—but there’s no question that it is also a challenging, at times daunting, listen.”
“Mutant blues rock. Balances romantic crooner pop with the junkyard blues weirdness of Tom Waits—the end result something like Lee Hazelwood at his late ’60s peak. It’s a delightful noir hallucination.”
“A fantastic power that is as carnival-like and playful as it is possessed and cacophonic.”
“‘Icaro Nouveau’ is a dark tango, a gothic circus, a dirty, melodic cacophony you just have to love.”
“Mixes voodoo psychedelia with acid jazz and pulsating dark rock into one outrageous concoction... A sermon being performed in the world of ‘The Big Lebowski.’”
“J Hacha de Zola might be the closest thing we have to a modern day Frank Zappa.”
“Want great songs? This record’s got ‘em. Yes, ‘Icaro Nouveau’ is mostly a jazz record, but that is only one of the genres... He is less a descendant of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins or Tom Waits (in the mold of ‘Small Change’ or even ‘Rain Dogs’) than he is a kind of sonic chameleon – think Andrew Bird in his ‘Bowl of Fire’ days, mixed with the manic energy of Mike Patton fronting Mr. Bungle.”
PRESS RELEASES:
SOCIALS:
LISTEN:
Bandcamp: jhachadezola.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2PnnUJw
Apple: https://apple.co/3vncV2i
ARCHIVE:
Assets:
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Christine Samaroo. Click for hi-res.
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Christine Samaroo. Click for hi-res.
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Christine Samaroo. Click for hi-res.
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Christine Samaroo. Click for hi-res.
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Christine Samaroo. Click for hi-res.
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Christine Samaroo. Click for hi-res.
“Not Acoustic” EP cover art. Click for hi-res.
East of Eden cover art. Click for hi-res.
“Lost Space” single cover art. Click for hi-res.
“Which Way” single cover art. Click for hi-res.