Torchbearers of the Southern California band sound, Local Natives first drew attention in 2009 when their debut album, Gorilla Manor, grabbed fans with its vibrant mix of kinetic, complex rhythms and soaring harmonies. The album drew praise for its enthusiastic balance of post-punk urgency and evocative lyricism. In 2013, the group expanded upon that sound, exploring a darker, more introspective aesthetic on their follow-up, Hummingbird (produced by Aaron Dessner of The National). Their third album, Sunlit Youth, arrived in the summer of 2016 via Infectious and Loma Vista Recordings. Its globe trotting writing process found the group experimenting with production techniques and expanding their palette of instruments. The classic studio setting is juxtaposed on Local Natives’ fourth full-length, Violet Street [Loma Vista Recordings] with modern production and visuals to form a timeless album. The band’s signature soaring 3-part harmonies are augmented by loops of tape, physically spliced and transformed by hand, the result of experimenting in the studio with producer Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, Kacey Musgraves, The War On Drugs). Violet Street features singles “When Am I Gonna Lose You,” whose cinematic video starred Kate Mara and was performed by the band on Ellen; and “Café Amarillo,” which FADER hailed for “illustrating a sort of emotional purgatory.” Local Natives are Kelcey Ayer, Nik Ewing, Matthew Frazier, Ryan Hahn, and Taylor Rice

Urbanscapes 2014

Local Natives

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