Jad Fair and Samuel Locke Ward Prep Happy Hearts

Every time I feel a bit detached from the Austin music scene and the hype, I realize that somewhere out there, Jad Fair (of Half Japanese) is working on something brilliantly charming, just penning song after song because there’s no point after that. This go round, he’s continuing his prolific last few years with a new project with Iowan Samuel Locke Ward. Personally, this is the sort of rock I gravitate towards, and sort of always have. Songwriting is perfect, simple and just the right moments for melody, though the song seems to capture little imperfections, or so it seems, giving off just the slightest sense of being an oddball in a pop world. I’ll always root for stuff like this, which is why I’m looking forward to hearing the whole of the duo’s Happy Hearts LP, out February 10th via Kill Rock Stars.