Local Natives - Violet Street

"Afropop-influenced guitars with hyperactive drumming and hooky three-part harmonies“ - so wurde anfangs die Musik der Local Natives beschrieben. Jedoch hat sich das Quintett aus Los Angeles im Verlauf der letzten 10 Jahre und über drei Alben hinweg deutlich weiterentwickelt, so dass man die anfangs genannten Kriterien mittlerweile nicht mehr allein stehen lassen kann und mindestens um melancholische, facettenreiche Kompositionen und vielschichtige Soundlandschaften ergänzen muss. 

Aus ihrem neuen Album „Violet Street“, das von Shawn Everett (The War On Drugs, Foxygen, Okkervil River, Grizzly Bear) produziert wurde,  wurden vorab die Songs „Café Amarillo“, „When Am I Gonna Lose You“ und „Tap Dancer“ veröffentlicht. Nun überschlägt sich die Presse mit guten Plattenkritiken, so dass das vierte Album der Local Natives bei Metacritic seine drei Vorgänger abhängt: „Gorilla Manor“ (80/100; 2009), „Hummingbird“ (77/100; 2013), „Sunlit Youth“ (75/100; 2016) und „Violet Street“ (84/100; 2019).

For their fourth album, Local Natives have tapped back into the rich veins of sound from their first and second albums, taken the best elements of each – the spark of Gorilla Manor, the moodiness of Hummingbird – and used them as the foundation to build Violet Street. It’s a dramatic stretch on life’s road map, on which Local Natives have captured their true spirit once again.
(The Line Of Best Fit)

"Shy" is the gem off the record, though its sound is anything but what its title may suggest. It starts off with intensely fast drumming and Kelcey Ayer's soaring vocals. Fierce and loud brass takes over, building up to a triumphant finish, similar to Foals, who are known for thundering build-ups in their music. "Sky" and other tracks such as "Gulf Shores" have an Afro-pop-inspired style and it's all over Violet Street, making the experience feel dreamy and endless.

Mellow but still high energy, "Café Amarillo" is a foot-tapping showpiece with awe-inspiring crafted bass and again, lively drumming. In contrast, the record ends with the slower paced "Tap Dancer." It's a memorable and emotional tune, sombre in essence, but still has the spirit Local Natives project from the opening track.
(exclaim)

With a notable energy that recalls their debut, the ‘all in one room’ technique of the album’s recording pays off in spades. ’Shy’ is anything but with it’s pacing, industrial percussion, while ‘Tap Dance’ makes for a lovely closer, sweet, slow harmonies and nostalgic lyrics that build ladders towards the great stadium in the sky, guitars threatening to hurtle right into the ground but pulling up right at the last minute. For those who tend to see the glass half empty, it can be difficult to enjoy even the purest of happiness, but with ‘Violet Street’, Local Natives deliver a tale of affection deeply rooted in the realism of love, not just in romance but in life.
(DIY)

Local Natives in Deutschland:
03.10.19 Berlin, Lido
08.10.19 Köln, Luxor