Chart-topping record producer Sean O'Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Beach Bunny, Plain White T's) and cherished indie rock icon Jason Narducy (Bob Mould, Sunny Day Real Estate, Superchunk) bring some luck to cult singer-songwriter David Safran's "Lucklessness."

A nearly-forgotten song originally written for Safran's 2012 record Delicate Partsis the anthemic centerpiece of his new EP THE LITTLE RECIDIVIST—the veteran Chicago musician's first new release in over a decade.

With a title cheekily named after John Cale's snarky observation of a young David Safran during a chance encounter in 2001, THE LITTLE RECIDIVIST serves as an unpredictable comeback firmly focused on the past—and past crimes—as well as a preview of his upcoming LP, A FEW LINES LATER.

It's been over twenty years since Grammy-nominated record producer Sean O'Keefe helmed a David Safran project. In a more innocent era—1998 to be specific—18-year-old O'Keefe was drumming for high school ska group Danny and the Ketchups while sharpening his skills as a burgeoning producer and recording engineer capturing bands within the small, tight-knit suburban Chicago punk scene. This included the Apathetics, 14-year-old David Safran's melodic hardcore band that, at the time, was fiercely embraced by their local teen community.

As the years went on, O'Keefe and Safran would remain kicking around the same music scene while experiencing wildly different career trajectories: O'Keefe would achieve massive success as a sought-after, hit-making producer who helped drive emo’s commercial explosion in the early 2000s. Safran, on the other hand, emerged as a suit-wearing, genre-hopping solo artist unable to find a record label despite bursts of critical acclaim (legendary writer Larry "Ratso" Sloman described Safran's music as "impeccable") and two buzzy self-released singles—the blistering "Adult Things" in 2009 andthe showstopping duet "Woman Astride, Facing Away" in 2011.

In recent years, Safran has carved out a cultish niche as a songwriter’s songwriter while occasionally brushing up against the mainstream in unexpected—and often anonymous—ways: writing viral advertising jinglesfor sex toy inventor Brian Sloan and lending his versatile baritone voice to international commercials. Additionally, Safran has surprisingly reinvented himself as an investigative reporter for Los Angeles Magazine and other news outlets publishing bombshell, whistleblowing articles on institutional child abuse and cover-ups in the so-called "troubled teen industry."

Approaching 40-years-old and sitting on a rich catalog of unreleased demos in need of studio magic, Safran discovered that Sean O'Keefe happened to live nearby. A quarter century later, the producer extraordinaire is back behind the controls starting with "Lucklessness," a breakthrough single featuring another recognizable Safran neighbor, Jason Narducy, on bass.

Released on Safran's own Lack of Options Records, THE LITTLE RECIDIVIST was co-produced by skateboarder/musician Alance Ward, previously the drummer for All Smiles, the solo project of Modest Mouse and Granddaddy guitarist, Jim Fairchild. The EP was mastered by engineer Collin Jordan (Exene Cervenka, Alkaline Trio, Common) at the Boiler Room in Chicago, Il.