On their third record, the Californian outfit swaps emotive indie-rock tendencies for electro leaning arena rock.
Local Natives/ Sunlit Youth
At the height of the indie-rock frenzy that plagued the better part of the 2000s, LA quintet Local Natives were one of the major players that broke onto the almost-crowded scene with their brand of nostalgia-inducing indie-rock. Their 2009 breakthrough debut Gorilla Manor and its follow-up Hummingbird contained all the sonically pleasing elements from emotive vocal harmonies, pastoral percussion and heartfelt strings. Naturally, they invited comparisons to bands with a similar musical sensibility such as Fleet Foxes, The National and Grizzly Bear.
The group's latest studio effort arrives with a title that's so unmistakably Local Natives: Sunlit Youth. A quick glance at the tracklist also reveals songs with all-too-familiar names like Past Lives, Dark Days and Fountain of Youth. But don't let all of that fool you into thinking that these guys ran out of ideas because there's a discernible shift in both mood and sound here that feels refreshingly new (for them, at least).
The epitome of this is opener Villainy, a shimmering electro-rock jam that's readily reminiscent of modern-day, Rihanna-collaborating Coldplay. "I want to start again/Sunsets, new babbling man," sings guitarist/vocalist Taylor Rice over a surging melody, "Mine is a chrome palace/Islands and old ballads/Shining like brand new." Keeping the stadium-rock sheen going, Past Lives finds Rice imploring from the very get-go: "Save me from the prime of my life." And once a Pet Shop Boys-esque synth motif has ushered in those climactic roaring drums, it's become obvious that the days of old gentle indie-rock sound are well and truly behind them.
Dark Days brings forth a sense of paradox with its tropical guitars and doleful lyricism ("Dark days in the summer/In the rain the water's fine/It was wild combination/Either that or right down the line"). The political tone of Fountain of Youth is as poignant as the stuttering rhythm that underpins Coins, the closest the band gets to sounding like the older version of themselves, and the message on Mother Emanuel which addresses the Charleston church massacre in South Carolina. The rest of the album (Ellie Alice, Psycho Lovers, Everything All At Once), however, sounds as if it were designed to be played exclusively at the Greek Theatre.
At its core, Sunlit Youth orbits around the themes of rebirth and change, something that is apparent in the song titles as well as songwriting. Change also manifests itself in the way Local Natives approach their music this time around. While keeping their lush three-part harmonies intact (fans will be thankful), they've done away with the strings and embraced the glossier sound and massive choruses that will appeal to the emotions of the crowd. There ain't no shame in wanting to create those magical lighters-in-the-air-moments, plus for bands with a gentle soul like Local Natives, this is a kind of rebirth that feels wholesome and natural.
THE PLAYLIST
Archwaltz/ Pao Wa Na (Intonate)
Newcomer Kanruethai "Gam" Malisorn makes hazy, dreamy synth-pop under the moniker Archwaltz. Produced by Space360's Auttaratt Photongnoppakun, lead single Pao Wa Na (Intonate) combines Gam's glacial vocals with a wistful synth loop, resulting in a sombre paean to a lover long gone ("Come back to me please my dear, won't you?/Before it's too late … To this day I still pray/I'm still waiting for your return"). If this song is any indication of what we can expect from her debut five-track EP due out next month, everyone will be in for a treat.
Kim Gordon/ Murdered Out
After more than three decades in the music industry, Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth fame has finally released a single under her own name. A collaboration between Gordon and producer Justin Raisen, Murdered Out is an angsty mid-tempo jam rooted in industrial goth-rock. "Turn me on," she wails repeatedly over distorted guitars, lengthening the last word to make her point. And the point here, according to the official statement about the song, is "a statement-making rejection of the shiny brand-new look, the idea of a new start, the promise of power, and the freedom on the open road". So there you have it.
Sting/ I Can't Stop Thinking About You
The Englishman in New York ditches the hymns and sea shanties for his first rock album in 13 years, and it's called 57th & 9th. Here, we have the first taste of his 12th solo LP in the form of pop-rock banger I Can't Stop Thinking About You. The track marks Sting's return to The Police's rock sound after he dabbled in a bewildering range of genres from lute compositions to orchestral covers. Like the music itself, the lyrics, too, are simple and to-the-point: "I can't stop thinking about you/I can't stop wanting you this way/I can't face living without you/That's why I'm searching night and day."
Mykki Blanco (feat. Jean Deaux)/ Loner
Loner is the third cut coming from Mykki Blanco's self-titled debut album and it features up-and-coming Chicago singer Jean Deaux. Showing his more vulnerable side, the queer rapper lets off a stream of consciousness about being jaded, faded and wasted. "I don't need your pity please leave me alone/I been feeling feelings that I don't condone," he sings in unison with Deaux over lite-trap beats and oscillating synths, "Feeling like I'm about to break my f--king phone/All these followers around me."
Sylvan Esso/ Radio
Alt-pop duo Sylvan Esso's self-titled 2014 debut is a thing of sonic wonder. Made up of singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, the pair craft a winsome fusion of folk, indie-pop and electronica. With their latest single Radio, however, they aim squarely at the dancefloor, marrying bouncy, synth-driven beats with lyrics about being a "slave to the radio" and the grind of being in the music industry: "Singin' I've got the moves of a TV queen/Folk girl hero in a magazine/Faking the truth in a new pop song/Don't you wanna sing along?"
