J Hacha de Zola - Icaro Nouveau

In 2017, Netflix started a very successful TV series based on a series of books attributed to the pseudonym Lemony Snicket. The lead role, Count Olaf, was played by Neil Patrick Harris, and the dark humor, gothic motifs, and the seemingly hopeless, but somehow hopeful situations the three Baudelaire-siblings keep stumbling into, glued countless people to their TV screens. The show was called A Series of Unfortunate Events, and even though J Hacha De Zola has nothing to do with it, his new album Icaro Nouveau would have been the perfect soundtrack.

Icaro Nouveau is a dark tango, a gothic circus, a dirty, melodic cacophony you just have to love. Based in classic Latin American folk, J Hacha De Zola created his very own, unique blend of Gothic Norteño and Tango. Imagine Los Tigres del Norte combined with The Tiger Lillies.

The only song that doesn’t seem to fit the overall album is track six, Hollow Trees. A seemingly artistic escapade, it doesn’t fit with the rest of the songs and breaks the overall flow of the album. It’s a cacophony of sounds over which De Zola speaks some kind of think piece, but it just doesn’t seem right. He attempts a similar endeavor on the last track, Hacha’s Lament, but at roughly half the length and with circus-esque background music, this one and a half minute piece is a fitting outro to an enticing album.

Overall, the album is an exciting take on Latin American music and fun to listen to. It’s solid work, and apart from aforementioned Hollow Trees, every song is worthwhile. Listen to the very strong first single, Anarchy (which is also the album’s opener), below.