Hazel Gaze emerges like a thunderclap out of the Hudson with a masterstroke of Southern spirit. They are sharing their latest single, “Black Soul River.”
“Black Soul River” plunges directly into the two-headed nature of faith, exploring how belief can function as both savior and oppressor. Its message, delivered with fiery conviction by the band’s frontperson whose voice flitters between preacher and prophet, lands hard. It’s a clash with power, tradition, and the swampy, muddy waters between destruction and salvation.
Co-produced with longtime collaborator Daniel Alba, a Grammy winner known for his work with Jack White and Tom Morello, the song lands with all the precision of a studio epic while dripping with the urgency of Hazel Gaze’s sweat-soaked live offerings. Duties learned from Oscar Zambrano seal the deal, but the band’s rugged blend of backgrounds from Broadway pits to blues bars imbues “Black Soul River” with soulful depth and genre-defying edge.
Hazel Gaze has always played in their lane, but on this release, they’re tracing something that feels like both a resurrection and a reckoning. If you want a track that doesn’t just come out of your speakers but owns them, “Black Soul River” is your next obsession.