LOCAL NATIVES - Hummingbird LP

Label: French Kiss

Compare them to whomever you will, Local Natives are coming into their own.

Over the past few years, the Californian quartet (formerly a quintet) have floated up into the upper echelons of a populous musical scene. They wasted no time with their ascent.

Attentive songwriting, tight rhythms and dovetailing harmonies characterized their debut back in 2010. The gentle spirit of Gorilla Manor has receded into something even more ghostly on Hummingbird. It’s slicker and reedier than its predecessor, and it demands a much larger audience.

Hummingbird‘s temperament is, quite often, a result of the production choices. The experimentation is subdued but evident, as Local Natives coolly press their sound forward into some very subjugated territory. With patience, Hummingbird‘s panorama comes into full view, and it is one full of arrestingly arranged set pieces and an impressive sense of economy.