There’s a stunning new voice in indie music with charred textures that ring of a timeless essence, and it belongs to 22 year old ZOLA. Hailing from the deep blues of San Francisco, ZOLA is making music that marries introspective lyrics with jazz-tinged instrumentation. On her debut EP, Everything I Know, ZOLA confidently displays her precocious songwriting and raw vocals.
The project starts with the modest, “Tamper”. ZOLA’s unfiltered vocals glide over the mellow trill of organs. Its simple melody has a prehistoric beauty to it that carries throughout the rest of the project. The poetic “Blood (Sugar)", sees ZOLA expose the contradictions that sometimes flood her mind. Speaking on the dissonance she feels when catching a glimpse of her own hypocrisy in the mirror, she admits that while she gives of love, she often fails to extend it to one person who may need it the most – herself.
On “Two Fast Too Soon”, which racked up an astronomical half a million plays with its release earlier this year, ZOLA sings about the inescapable hesitation of not wanting to be too attached but being engulfed in the feeling of falling in love too fast in a relationship.
Speaking of the inspiration behind Everything I Know, ZOLA details, “It is the embodiment of my four years in college. I explore heartbreak, self-love, self-hate, regret, learning to get over that regret and finding some good in it. I created all of these songs with myself except for Blue, which was co-written. It is an extremely personal and honest EP.”
The transparent and polished feel of Everything I Know is a refreshing project for the hungry soul. Listen to it above.
