Local Natives - Sunlit Youth

Local Natives
Sunlit Youth
2016
Spotify

Local Natives have established themselves as the band of the cool set for some time now. With pop up concerts and other surprises surrounding the release of this their newest record Sunlit Youth the band have caught just the right wave to keep people fascinated. On this their third major release we see the band taking one of the bigger risks of their career. As with a lot of indie bands trying to push their sound forward synths are the usual choice and that is clearly where Local natives plan to go. "Villainy" sets the tone for this move in sound and it is quite a nice song. The real standout in the early tracks however is "Dark Days" it has all the glowing attributes that much of their early work did, that sense that the sun is setting behind them as they play to an open air crowd. Local Natives, with their multiple voices have always created anthems pretty organically, in fact organic might be one of the better descriptions of their whole sound, but "Fountain of Youth" some how misses the mark. "We can do whatever we want!" is one of the chants at the end of the song and it just feels a bit slimy rather than fun. As with a lot of bands who move towards the electronic center some of the sweetness can be lost. He can hear that distinctly on "Masters" as the guitars and electronic percussion drown out the warm sounding vocals.

"Jellyfish" is quite experimental for the guys, with even some Reggae tones slipping in, it allows them to get in to a groove with this new sound they are working out. Sure there are a few kinks, but that comes with trying anything new. "Coins" is perhaps one of the best songs the band has ever written. It is direct, beautiful and feels the most like it is exactly where the band is today. The synths swirl beneath the bands classic style and that is right where they should be. It is also boosted by the fact that Kelcey Ayer takes on the lead vocals duty and simply destroys his way through the track. "Ellie Alice" is a mostly acoustic song that is pretty sweet, but seems drags a bit and slows the albums pace significantly. "Psycho Lovers" captures that anthem feel, in the organic way we were discussing before. The song builds and builds and has a drum and bass beat that is absolutely infectious. In the end the good out weighs the bad on this record, and it is a positive sign that Local Natives are evolving their sound rather than staying in their Silverlake pocket. A solid record where the highs are extremely high, and the lows just a bit low Sunlit Youth shows that Local Natives are much more than hipster du jour.

8.0 out of 10

P.S. Local Natives used to be called Cavil at Rest in their early days, and "House on Stilts" is still their best song, in my humble opinion.