Local Natives

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 & evocative lyricism. In 2013, the group expanded upon that sound, exploring a darker, introspective aesthetic on their follow-up, Hummingbird (produced by Aaron Dessner of The National). Their third LP, Sunlit Youth, arrived in the summer of 2016. Its globe trotting writing process found the group experimenting with production techniques & expanding their palette of instruments. The classic studio setting is juxtaposed on their fourth full-length, Violet Street with modern production & visuals to form a timeless album. The band’s signature soaring 3-part harmonies are augmented by loops of tape, physically spliced & transformed by hand, the result of experimenting in the studio with producer Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, Kacey Musgraves). “When Am I Gonna Lose You,” whose cinematic video starred Kate Mara & cracked the Top 10 on Billboard’s Alternative charts. After a period of personal turmoil, the band recorded their fifth & sixth studio albums, 2023's Time Will Wait For No One and 2024's But I'll Wait For You, concurrently. Following their release, Kelcey Ayer announced his amicable departure from the band. Local Natives are Nik Ewing, Matthew Frazier, Ryan Hahn & Taylor Rice.