Zenizen
Catching up with Zenizen’s Opal Hoy; courtesy of Phoebe Powell Photography.
Introducing Zenizen, from Opal Hoyt previously of Napoleon has been working away on her upcoming debut solo EP available in early October & we give you a beginning listen with the electronic-tinged might & majesty of “No Contact”. Zenizen provides a kind of reverse osmosis effect that reverses all the various aspects & elements of intimacy & devours them in a vacuum cleaner of a creative jambalaya that will continue to echo & resonate within you in the most unusual ways (that somehow will reveal their truths & reasoning later in life).
In the wake of Napoleon’s disbanding, Opal presents her latest visions she’s been working on since. “I joined Napoleon on a friend request from Julian,” Hoyt explained to us, “but have always been slipping towards making music and booking shows that are more like the bulk of what I listen to: pop, beats & nu-jazz. I’m excited to be heading up my own project now.” Opal further expanded upon Zenizen’s beginnings and reconnecting with school day chums: “I originally started [Zenizen] with a friend of mine from middle school and we were exploring how to combine his disco-house style and my essentially soul vocals,” she explained, “As that’s progressed I’ve been making more beats in my own style and writing for a band again.”
Beyond Opal’s own progressive & preferred styles, her travels & self-imposed regiments would yield further creative breakthroughs.
“I’ve spent time last two winters in Australia and this year I felt like I needed to do something to really move the band forward so I gave myself a number of rules for the songs that I wanted to write while I was there.” Hoyt shined some more light on the dogmatic structure she set up for herself; “All the same structure, verse chorus verse chorus bridge 2x chorus, no more than three words per chorus, no more than five per bridge, two chords only—and came up with five that I brought to a recording engineer friend down there.” From here the solid foundation of Zenizen took shape. “He helped me get a band together for the sessions and we knocked out three songs in about two and a half days. The final EP is a surprisingly accurate combination of my r & b/soul/beats/jazz interests and all the time I spent in a rock band in Brooklyn [laughs].”
With the debut Zenizen EP available in early October, Opal has been busy ever since making more solo material under the same moniker. The following single “No Contact” illustrates the solo standing confidence & resolve in one’s own autonomy through an intoxicating blend of keys, electronics, arrangements & Opal’s consciousness shifting lyrical delivery. The various synths percolate & bubble around the surface-noise skipping percussion sequencing that crystallizes Hoyt’s voice that leads to foggy spas & clandestine retreats that virtually live in their own hidden universe/dimension. “No Contact” descends like an arcade game space-ship where Opal invites all listeners to board en route to a tranquil electro-experimental escape of realization, relaxation & revelations. The lyrics emerge in & out of the mix where the beholder picks up quips like “make no sound,” “look around, being compelled to hold on for yourself,” “stand alone, build your empire on the sun,” “hand to heart,” “still apart,” “distant fears,” “stay outside these walls alone,” “so come apart,” “lose yourself to gather back,” “shifting sounds,” “match the shifting tides,” & more that take you along for the journey. Read our following candid conversation with Zenizen/Napoleon visionary Opal Hoyt.
Describe how your creative connection to an old friend from middle school help bring about the foundation for Zenizen.
We actually didn’t hang out all that much when we were in school together but I think we were both really feeling the pull to be gone from the environment in Vermont. I came to college in NY and he went to Boston and he started sending me stuff like beats he had made just being like “this is what I’m up to now” and asking for a few vocal samples but I was kind of busy with Napoleon at the time. By the time he actually ended up moving here, Napoleon was pretty much finished and my other interests were much closer to what he was up to so we decided to see how we could collab for real. Being from the same hometown just made it easy to kind of start something together.
Tell us about what the move from Brooklyn to Australia was like for you and how your self-imposed verse chorus verse chorus bridge 2x chorus), no more than three words per chorus, no more than five per bridge, two chords only methodology impacted your upcoming EP.
So this past trip was the second time I’d been down in two years and it kind of felt more like a homecoming than anything [laughs]. The self-imposed rules were more to keep me present because it’s so easy to get lost in the existentialism of the fact that you’re literally on the other side of the planet down there. I think if anything it made the EP more representative of me rather than being restrictive because it gave me a chance to use the creative influences around to flesh out the scaffolding in my own real way rather than going off into whatever escapist fantasy I would have otherwise.
Zenizen’s Opal Hoyt; courtesy of Kwame Anyane-Yeboa Photography.
How have you found your time in Napoleon has informed your other creative endeavors?
Apparently I was super pissed at Julian when the band finally broke up but honestly I don’t even really recall that at this point. Those guys were pretty much my life while I was playing with them and that’s definitely a part of every band move I make. I wouldn’t be playing or making music at all if Julian hadn’t talked me into that band. I really respect them as musicians and everything I learned from them about writing and playing so it’s kind of just ingrained—I’m not sure I could give you a solid example of how its manifested now but I am currently playing with drummer Harrison Keithline again for the new project!
Interested in hearing more insights on your creative approach to song composition.
I guess that’s one way Napoleon left an impact. Julian is a pop-rock song master. When left to my own devices I can be all over the place so keeping that in mind makes it possible for me to a; finish anything and b; combine my sometimes inventive-to-a-fault tendencies with actual real things that other people might want to recognize and/or pick up potentially. It’s also great to write with collaborators when its the right fit and I’ve been working on a full length with my friend/guitarist/engineer Benamin at Rubber Tracks. We bounce a lot of ideas off of each other and take turns keeping it from getting too weird.
What are some of your favorite things about Australia that you discovered?
Way more people know about travel and art grants and how to get them and stuff. In the U.S., all of that seems like so much of a mystery. I don’t even know I think mostly I just met so many amazing people from Australia here in NYC and over there that it really stole my heart to do anything with them. The first day I got there the first time I ever went, a friend of a friend who I had never even met just picked me up and we drove out to this watering hole and hung out all day/night. It’s really that sort of family thing. It’s beautiful.
Opal Hoyt of Zenizen live at Aviv; courtesy of Kwame Anyane-Yeboa Photography.
What do you feel is really exciting right now about Brooklyn?
I think so much stuff is in limbo/transition right now that there’s a lot of potential for creatives to define themselves rather than trying to fit into existing boxes. That being said, it’s still sad/scary to see so many venues shutting down/moving and friends kind of ending up on extended tours as a next step to the party scene that you kind of get attached to. But yeah, I think people are getting ready to get creative with the next steps for what can happen here.
What have you been really into lately in terms of music, visuals, literature & more?
Since I started Zenizen I also started booking shows a lot as an entity called ‘Deeper Space’. We’re actually going to be relaunching soon but it basically started as an outlet to kind of discover what was going on in terms of non-indie rock in the city since the new band only really gingerly toes that line. There’s so much creativity and soul that I’ve seen there that I’ve been constantly trying to see more of how that manifests in music, visuals, literature, everything. So basically soul music…soul visuals [laughs]. The final product takes all kind of forms though I don’t really know how else to describe it. I guess more traditionally I’ve been into more romantic stuff that I have in the past. I used to be into really distinct catchy melodies and graphic art but now I’m kind of letting go a little bit and getting into “mushier” everything. I’ve been reading poetry.
The debut Zenizen EP Australia is available now via Soundcloud.
The zen world of Zenizen, lead by Opal Hoyt; press photo courtesy of the artist.
Featured off Zenizen’s debut Australia EP, front woman Opal Hoyt presents her self-directed, shot and edited video for the mesmerizing single “Follow the Leader” that inspires all natural born leaders to find & follow their fancy. Hoyt incorporates a host of intimate shots, perspectives, angles, filters & overall composition to provide a real sincere visual compliment & accompanying piece where the feelings found on “Follow the Leader” are reflected in an organic party among dear friends. Opal described the visual piece as being, “The lyrics of ‘Follow the Leader’ come alive at a party of epically holistic proportions with an aesthetic nod to your favorite 90s movie,” where the evocative & harmonic elements of her voice, progressions of chords & keys are set to great times with good people indulging in a joyous meeting. The song & video exhibits the zen of togetherness & the importance of loved ones & good friends regularly congregating as Opal expressed to us that the, “promise of sticking together seems even more prescient in the recent days.”
“Follow the Leader” opens with that trademark Zenizen/Opal Hoyt style where that feeling of awakened realizations washes over the listener/viewer with a that renewed sense of tranquility & potential of the day. The video ends & begins with Opal focusing the lens upon one of her rooftop sleeping friends, where scenes of soirees are depicted as if something out of a daydream thought up by the video’s own Rip Van Winkle character. Hoyt saturates the video with the sensation of sun rays & natural light constantly cropping into the focus seen in the frame. Further effects of reds & blues create a heady feel where garden & living room gatherings are seen with a degree of benign & indulgent hedonism. “Follow the Leader” is about life long friends following in each other’s steps, keeping up with one another, laughing together, eating together, drinking together, imbibing & ingesting all sorts of party favor delights that keep the event bright & spirited. The motif of togetherness, not unlike that of the song, is everywhere as a decadent time is engaged where the banner of friendship is exalted as everyone’s shared universal code of close confidants through a genuine human bond of connection.
Those late to the Zenizen party are strongly encouraged to experience the Australia EP for themselves that offers a sense of peace & zen for all of us caught in the messed up matrix of this modern world. From the aforementioned lead in track “Follow the Leader”, Opal illuminates & heightens the possibilities of all things like the understated lullaby of “Expanding”, to “Nicer There” that seeks out a certain kind of greener & nicer space & place of solace & joy. Read our recent interview with Zenizen’s Opal Hoyt.
Tell us all about your summer adventures and your recent UK travels! Where all did you go? We want stories!
I have an aunt that lives in Edinburgh so we went over to stay at her place since we hadn’t been in a while. I stayed there for a few days then went down to London and Air bnb’d a couple days then went back up to Scotland. It was really beautiful. Honestly it was mainly family stuff—aunt’s house, my mom has been on this book tour so I actually went with her to one of those in London. I spent most of my time in London lurking around various coffee shops and working on the video and some other stuff piece by piece. The last day I actually met up with Hiatus Kaiyote and crew for their show at Somerset House which was probably the highlight of my….year? We were right up in the wings it was so great seeing the crowd and hearing them in this massively open but somehow intimate venue. It’s a beautiful space. That was actually the only night I really went out for real on the trip—we ended up in this park/loading dock situation in Hackney and I missed my train back to Edinburgh the next day but I consider it a pretty minor consequence.
Tell us about how the experiences of recording your Australia EP further enlightened your perspectives as an artist.
The recording of the EP was deliberately done really rapidly—the goal was 5 songs in five days and we ended up doing three songs in about two and a half days. It really forced me to trust myself as a producer and as a performer—even when the trust wasn’t there it was just like, sell the shit out of it because we’re not going back. I like the organic feel of it—the full length will definitely be several steps tighter and more developed but the EP helped me really understand what was necessary for me and what I shouldn’t stress about.
Opal Hoyt of Zenizen; press photo courtesy of the artist.
What can you tell us about new recordings in the works?
I have probably 70% of the songs for the full length going, some older ones and some new stuff from the past few months—Ben, my guitarist, and I will probably spend some time shopping them into full demos before I decide where and with whom to actually work on the final recordings. Then I’ll probably sit down and workshop the new songs that will flesh out the rest. The whole thing is shaping up to be pretty sumptuous—I’m hoping to keep the imagination in it.
Describe the rooftop hangouts & art of zenning out that can be attributed to that super-mellow video for “Follow the Leader”.
Ha, zenning, amazing. I think it’s really that the honesty that comes with being with a close circle is the ultimate goal, whether you try to get there with booze, drugs, music—hate, for some. I stopped drinking for about six months a while ago and the craziest thing about it was that I had come home at one point and still passed out in all my clothes but completely sober. It was basically out of habit more than anything else and it’s kind of like, what’s the point again? Humans like to be together.
What artists & phenomenons did you discover recently in your UK travels?
I was…horrific…about going to shows this time around the UK. The Hiatus show was honestly the only thing I did that wasn’t working on my own stuff.
What is on your must hear/end of year list?
I really should make a Deeper Space year recap but as far as top like 10 maybe (in no particular order and I could continue):
1. Norvis Junior, Pyrrhic Victory EP
2. Tamara Renee, Cycles (single) << like, get this a grammy
3. Salt Cathedral, Homage EP
4. Hiatus Kaiyote, Recalibrations Vol. 1
5. Noname, Telefone
6. serpentwithfeet, blisters EP
7. Silentjay & Jace XL, Sacrifice
8. Honduras, Gathering Rust
9. Beverly, The Blue Swell
10. DJ Harrison, Vault Series 7: Doxxx
Thoughts on 2016, hopes for 2017?
Wow 2016—definitely ready to leave this one behind in a lot of ways, turning backs on shitty stuff as well as looking forward to building on good things. I think everybody has a lot to do. Hopefully the hateful and terror-mongering among us trip and fall and can’t get up.
Listen to more from Zenizen here.
