Half a World Away is a live album by Jim Ward — guitarist, vocalist, and co-founder of post-hardcore bands At the Drive-In and Sparta — released on 17 March 2022 via Dine Alone Records, with a subsequent vinyl edition issued as an RSD Black Friday exclusive on 25 November 2022 in a pressing of 1,200 copies on coloured vinyl. The album was culled from a globally streamed livestream Ward performed in July 2021 around the release of his solo album Daggers, at a time when in-person touring was not yet feasible. Ward and guitarist/collaborator Matt Miller recorded their parts at Star City Studios in El Paso, Texas, while drummer Mathew Gardner — based in Sydney, Australia — recorded simultaneously in a separate studio on the other side of the world, giving the album its title. The 11-track set runs approximately 39 minutes.The programme draws primarily from Daggers — including "Day by Day," "Breaking the Broken," "Blink Twice," "Broken Songs," "Collapse," "I Got a Secret," "Turquoise Dream," "Mystery Talks," "Lines in Sand," and "Paper Fish" — and closes with "Hourglass," a track from At the Drive-In's 1998 album In/Casino/Out, offered here as a callback to Ward's earlier career. Ward described his satisfaction with the result in a statement at the time of release: "We were so pleased with the final result that we decided to release it," noting that the logistical challenge of recording across continents had produced something he felt was worth preserving as a standalone record. The release coincided with the announcement of Texas tour dates with his band Sparta, marking one of the first opportunities for Ward to perform the Daggers material in front of live audiences.
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