[Cover photo credit to Jay Braley]
Rare Hearts is Joe Rojas (he/him), a Los Angeles-based, Mexican-American, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has recently announced his signing to LA-based label My Grito Industries to release his debut EP. To accompany the signing, Rojas has released the music video for the first single off the new EP, a track called “Good Times”.
The pandemic caused a lot of heartache, including 2020 accumulating the most breakups nationally and internationally compared to the last three years according to the site Dating.com. Rojas sings of a different way to heal heartbreak in “Good Times.”
He comments:
A powerful way for getting over a breakup is to reminisce those good times that you had because there are more to come. It’s easy to fall into the perception of, ‘Oh this is treacherous, and I’m never going to have that again,’ but it’s the opposite. That’s always helped me get over the hurt from breakups instead of ignoring all of that shit that is hard to deal with.
Rojas says that this positive approach to self-care practice began from necessity, growing up around gangs, dealing with “loss, abuse, and depression”. He dedicates Rare Hearts to others who have struggled similarly and encourages them to “embrace their imperfect self”.
The EP was recorded during the pandemic with his producer Sam Sobo using Zoom, Audiomovers, and socially distanced in-person sessions in Rojas’ backyard. His EP will arrive later this year from My Grito Industries.