Rare Hearts - "Good Mantra"

It's been a while since we've heard from Los Angeles based Rare Hearts. The musical moniker of Mexican-American artist Joe Rojas just released a new single, "Good Mantra." With a title like that, it kind of needs to be a positive song and this one definitely is. I had compared his previous music to other power pop artists in 1997 and "Good Mantra" gets a little more current than that. It still has a very Fountains of Wayne style to it, but add in a little early Arctic Monkeys and you'll have this sound. Rojas has crafted one of the most positive and appealing songs of the year. Normally that would repel me, but Rare Hearts just have enough natural charm to keep me listening happily.

Joe Rojas says of his new single:

"'Good Mantra' has to be one of my absolute favorite songs I’ve ever written. With a positive and empowering message; it’s all about looking in the mirror, accepting and loving ourselves wholeheartedly. Realizing that our imperfections are what make us uniquely ourselves. It’s a Powerful mantra for everyone on this plane of existence and one I’m proud to put out into the world. It’s a song for the community and for the individual. 'You’re strong, you’re beautiful, You’re happiness, breathe these words and you’ll be unstoppable.' In a lot of ways; this song is about getting out of our own way (heads) and embracing every ounce of who we are in order to flourish in a world that is constantly pushing us to reach for external validation and unreasonable/unrealistic expectations of oneself. You are perfect as you are. Embrace that, and flourish! The choice is ours to make each moment of each day."

You can listen to "Good Mantra" below. Rare Hearts' debut EP is due out later this year on My Grito Industries. For more on Rare Hearts, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook.

Rare Hearts - "Tough Guy"

Photo by Jay Braley

Back in June we brought you "Good Times" from Rare Hearts, the musical project of Mexican-American singer-songwriter Joe Rojas. Rojas is back with a new single, "Tough Guy." I compared the last song to bands like Weezer, Superdrag, Fountains of Wayne, etc. "Tough Guy" still has that poppier side of alt-rock thing going, except this one if even bigger and more pop. It sounds like Rojas is shooting for the stadiums on this one, and I'm getting vibes of bands like Muse or Placebo, but filtered through Self... if that makes any sense. It's a different sound than we previously heard from Rare Hearts, but if you like "Good Times" there's a lot for you to love about "Tough Guy."

Joe Rojas says of the new song:

“'Tough Guy' was such a fun song to write, perform, and come up with a music video for. There was such a flow to the creation of the video and even the song when first written. For me, this song embodies two stories. One in where there’s the 'tough guy' stereotype 'machismo' aspect to it which can be found in lyrics such as 'ya you know you’ve never seen me, if you think you really saw me down cause I’ll just break away' while also highlighting the blind drive someone in that life roll may have, 'have no mercy, it all makes me.'”

You can listen to "Tough Guy" below. Rare Hearts will release a debut EP later this year on My Grito Industries. For more on Rare Hearts, check out the artist's Facebook and Twitter.

Rare Hearts - "Good Times"

Photo by Jay Braley

Rare Hearts is the musical project of Los Angeles based, Mexican-American singer/songwriter Joe Rojas. His latest single, "Good Times," is a giant 90's style alt-rock song. It's reminding me a ton of some of my favorites from the mid 90's, with a huge chorus, catchy as hell everything, and giant, crunching guitars. If you remember this time period, this is going to make you think of those post grunge bands that bordered on pop like Weezer, Superdrag, Nada Surf, Fountains of Wayne, etc. If "Good Times" came out at this time of the year in 1997 this could have easily been the song of the summer, despite it being a break-up song, or possibly because of that.

Joe Rojas says of the new song:

“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.”

You can watch the video for "Good Times" below. The song will be included on Rare Hearts' debut EP which is due out later this year on My Grito Industries. For more on Rare Hearts, check out the artist on Facebook and Twitter.