A day in the life: Local Natives
It's been a full 15 years since Local Natives emerged with their colourful, impassioned breed of indie rock, their 2009 debut album Gorilla Manor still one of the most cherished LPs from that fruitful period of time.
Still going strong all these years on, the band have remained a insightful and inspired collective, finding new ways to share their work, releasing their fifth album last year, and swiftly following it up in 2024 with a companion piece, the excellent But I'll Wait For You, which also came with its own attached short film.
“But I’ll Wait For You is the companion piece to our 2023 release Time Will Wait For No One. Maybe not an answer to a question but an exhale to an inhale. There is so little that’s in our control but among all this chaos, we can choose to be there for each other,” the band said of its connection.
As 2024 draws to a close, the band have announced that founding member Kelcey Ayer is to leave the band, an amicable departure after so long together and the beginning of a new beginning for all involved.
As the dust settles on what has been a lush and decorated chapter of the band, we caught up with Nik Ewing to hear all about his soundtrack to a perfect day - and you can check out his answers below.
What's the album you reach for in the quiet of the morning?
I've been hugely inspired by Nils Frahm's solo piano recordings lately. His songs are always beautifully written, not to take anything away from that part of his music or to minimize what some (rightfully) deem the most important part of music (writing). But it's kind of everything else that really gets me. The intimate recording, the creeks of sitting down at a piano bench, the pedal noise from lifting drenched in reverb, the stumbling to hit stop recording at the end of a take, the slight warble... all these things are what makes his solo piano albums so intimate. Encores 2 feels like I'm right there in the room with him, an audience of one.
What's the one song you play to wake you up and embrace the day ahead?
Finally really getting into jazz is such a quintessential dad move; to start digging backwards and learning the musical history you missed before having children. Ryan and I have even really gotten into the LA jazz scene and have recently performed some free jazz with some of our friends/favorite musicians (Dave Harrington, Spencer Zahn & Griffin Goldsmith), but I digress. I went on a Miles Davis deep dive some years ago, and the series of albums he wrote for his then wife in the mid 60's are my favorite. I can hear the obvious love and affection coming through his playing over the chillest of bands. The bass just playing one note for like 50 seconds straight to start the album... c'mon. It's right before his big celebrated turn into Avant masterpieces, so it's easy to understand why they don't get as much shine, but I highly recommend you throw on 'Someday My Prince Will Come' while you're brewing your morning cup.
What's your favourite song or album to drive to/accompany you on a road trip?
We tour a lot. I have a handful of albums always downloaded on my phone cause I never know when I might all of sudden be without reception, or the price of Wifi on a flight is far too much to justify. Along with other albums on this list, A Written Testimony by Jay Electronica is always downloaded. It's just the perfect travel album. Some albums feel like they should be art exhibits at a museum. Like a quadruple Flaming Lips album where each album is played concurrently on four different speakers sounds... iiiinteresting? But do I want to actually listen to that album more than twice? Once in its entirety? However, A Written Testimony feels immensely heavy, important and prophetic while simultaneously full of laid-back banger after banger.
What's a song or album that sounds best just as the sun begins to go down?
I can always remember either the first listen or the moment that a very important album clicked for me in the most profound way; I remember one drive from the east side of LA to the west, lasting the exact runtime of Pacific Ocean Blue by Dennis Wilson. I first listened to MAGDALENE by FKA twigs while walking through The Met.
With Bon Iver's 22, A Million I remember walking around Bristol at sunset, the very last day of tour with a little (naturally grown) chemical enhancement, being able to see it all as the day expired. Or maybe there was nothing greater to see and all the iconography and numbers we give great meaning is just manmade and there's nothing beyond. It's a fine line. Who knows?
What's your favourite song to dance to when the dark of night has arrived?
Our friends Paramore hosted a cruise called Parahoy that we played some years ago. I DJed one night, but it was this silent disco thing with three DJs and everyone in the audience had headphones that would light up three different colors which reflected who you were listening to. Like if your headphones were red, you were listening to me, but blue was Zach, etc. So you could see in the crowd, who everyone was listening to.
We had such much fun doing it that Taylor wanted to repeat the experience at his wedding reception. So again, I DJed with two other friends at his wedding. At the very end of the night, I played Donna Lewis' 'I Love You Always Forever' maybe eight times in a row to the sad defeat of the other two DJs, as everyone on the dance floor slowly all turned to my mix and sang along loudly and danced eight times in a row (but keep in mind if you took your headphones off, you only hear out of key singing, no music and a lot of feet).
Finally, what's the last thing you play in the late-night quiet?
Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders' Promises Promises deserves to be in its own category. Or maybe it's literally just two long melodies repeating while Pharaoh performs solos one can only write in their 80's. Even mentioning the London Symphony Orchestra might make this just seem like a quasi-film score which really sells short what a spiritual experience this album is, perfect very late at night.
But I’ll Wait For You is out now, via Loma Vista Recordings
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