Local Natives leans shoegaze in "Just Before The Morning"
Yet another LA rock band overdue for a fresh album
Local Natives (Taylor Rice, Kelcey Ayer, Ryan Hahn, Matt Frazier, Nik Ewing from LA) is approaching their 20-year anniversary as a band and released single “Just Before The Morning” (Loma Vista) last month:
The sound evolution of Local Natives is refreshing as it skews more retro-experimental over the years. A breakout hit that featured a solid but predictable uptempo drum set + power falsetto + complementary electric guitar chords was “When Am I Gonna Lose You” off 2019 album Violet Street with a top of the line music video budget:
Local Natives has released studio albums about once every three years (Gorilla Manor 2009/2010, Hummingbird 2013, Sunlit Youth 2016, Violet Street 2022) and with recent double-track Desert Snow / Hourglass and single Just Before The Morning and tour dates mostly in LA in November 2022 (but one in Florida in March 2023… foreshadowing?) I’m expecting an album drop in that time.
A special album — a personal favorite — Music From The Pen Gala 1983, covers Roxy Music, 10cc, Gerry Rafferty, and Michael McDonald. They’re all solid covers but their cover of “I’m Not In Love” really surprised me with its overall subtlety and unique synth-piano flourish mid-track.
Can’t remember if I’ve mentioned another great cover of this classic but here’s Kelsey Lu: