The music scene of Los Angeles has nearly as vibrant a history as it’s film industry. The endless list of musicians embody all sounds imaginable and only continue to grow as the city remains at the center of the entertainment universe. One such band helping to add to LA’s already diverse indie scene is, Local Natives. Originating from Orange county and now based out of Silver Lake at the center of Los Angeles, Local Natives have been compared to bands such as Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes with a west coast touch.

With their most recent album, “Sunlit Youth”, released last September, band members, Taylor Rice (vocals/guitar), Kelcey Ayer (vocals/keyboards/percussion/guitar), Ryan Hahn (Guitar/mandolin/vocals), Matt Frazier (drums), and Nik Ewing (bass/vocals), have added to their originality with a fresh sound that maintains their signature style. While there are definite variations from track to track, the album manages to sustain a chilled out vibe garnished with emotional lyrics, beautifully harmonized melodies, and instrumental perfection without ever being too much, three aspects that provide evidence to the band’s natural skill set and advanced theoretical adeptness.

The album opens up with, Villainy, a synth-heavy track that serves listeners with a glimpse of how Local Native’s are able to blend layered vocal harmonization, skilled percussion, and the use of multiple instruments with ease. This trend is retained throughout with songs such as Dark Days, Masters, Jellyfish, and Psycho Lovers.

 

Lyrically, Sunlit Youth is often more cheerful than its predecessors with Rice admitting that the band allowed themselves to explore the world with childlike wonder and fascination. As more songs were added, he and his band-mates were able to write with an added sense of hopefulness toward the impact future generations may have on the planet. This is especially evident with, Fountains of Youth, a politically charged anthem that came together so naturally that few adaptations were needed before the track was ever recorded.

The fourth album of one of LA’s finest Indie contributors is a must listen. Rarely are there compilations without at least one filler track, even from the most accomplished musicians, but “Sunlit Youth” is a gem that leaves no questions as to how naturally the band’s members are able to flow together both within a studio and onstage. If you want to catch Local Natives the next time they are scheduled in Montreal you best have tickets for Osheaga. They are set to play one of the two main stages Sunday, August 6th. Do yourselves a favor and download Sunlit Youth through Itunes or on the band’s personal website listed below! Hopefully this review is more than enough to get you started as a Local Native’s fan if you aren’t already one.

Image result for sunlit youth

Local Natives
Sunlit Youth
(Loma Vista Recordings, 2017)

-Genre: Indie Rock
-In the Same Genre as Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes

Buy the album on the artist’s Website
Follow the artist via their Facebook page
Watch videos on the artist’s YouTube page

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About The Author

Collaborator - RREVERB

Born into a musical family, I’ve been heavily addicted to playing and listening since the first time I laid fingers on my grandmother’s dateless electric organ. My father was an acoustic guitarist who loved CCR and my mother was a competitive tap dancer in her youth. These surroundings lead me to the guitar where I eventually trained myself in jazz theory and began to involve myself in my hometown’s music scene. Moving to Montreal has only expanded this lifelong passion and the city’s vast diversity has provided for me an endless journey into new musical discovery.