Jezzy & The Belles: Mapping the Soundsof Our Hearts

“Brooklyn electro-pop infused with Latin melodies: ThinkFeist meets Air meets Bjork with a twist of NIN drumprogramming.”
— The Dadada

 Jessica Eisenberg may have dipped into her whimsical back pocket when shecame up with the name for her Brooklyn-based project Jezzy & The Belles,but one listen to the newest single off the eponymous three-track EP(released 2/14/2011) clues you into the fact that behind the playfulnesslies a deep and serious commitment to her music. “Confess Child”announces itself with dolorous horns that recall the notes consistently hitby Gogol Bordello or Beirut, but the track progresses in amore layered and futuristic direction, laced with light-speed drumprogramming for a backdrop, Eisenberg intones with the hushed yet dramaticmelancholy of a martini-drenched lounge singer in a post-apocalyptic sci-fiunderworld. Though this is just a taste of what’s to come from her soonto be released debut full-length, Compasses & Maps, which is slated for releaselater in the spring.


VIDEO: JEZZY & THE BELLES - "CONFESS CHILD"

                A classically trained violinist, Jezzy was raised by a father with anencyclopedic knowledge of music and a Cuban mother who exposed her to thesensual rhythms of Latin music. Add to these already eclectic influencesher early affinity for artists like Bjork and Bowie, andyou have the partial recipe for a unique singer-songwriter intent uponexploring music as a creative language that is capable of communicatingemotions, memories, and hopes without borders. In her own words, “…Ilearned to appreciate music as a companion. I fed off its honesty,unabashed expression of permanent irreparable loss. I found comfort in themusic I was listening to and in some ways I want to do that for otherpeople.” So far, Jezzy’s been doing just that for fans at local NYC hotspots like the Knitting Factory,Mercury Lounge, and Pianos. On her forthcoming album, Compasses & Maps sheenlisted the help of venerable producer Ilia Bis. The result is a diverse and impressive array ofsongs unified by Jezzy’s impressive songwriting and a willingness to makeherself vulnerable through her music.

Jezzy & The Belles have already drawn praise fromcritics who have likened her sound to Cults, Portishead,and Feist, and after the springrelease of Compasses &Maps you can look forward to a national tour of major U.S. cities inSummer 2012.