Local Natives: The Buzz for The New Album “Hummingbird” Looms Large.

I remember the first time I heard the Local Natives’ first record Gorilla Manor  in late 2009, and I was absolutely blown away. Their dedication to ear-soothing three-part harmonies and constantly catchy tunes that feature afro-pop guitars made for an amazing record. Shortly thereafter, I went to Grimey’s and bought that record on vinyl. At the beginning of 2010, I heard they were coming to The Basement. I was a total procrastinator and forgot to get a ticket online, plus I didn’t realize how big they were at the time and didn’ think the show would do that well. Well, boy was I wrong! When I decided to get finally get tickets, all the online ones were all scooped. But apparently there were still some tickets available at the door of The Basement on the day of the show. So I decided to get to The Basement really early to get tickets. The show started at 9 pm, so I thought early meant right at 9 pm. (This was my Nashville concertgoer mentality at the time). So I get there around 9 pm and I see the line spilling out onto the street. As I recall, there were only about 50 tickets available at the door, and there were definitely about 100-150 people ahead of me in line. I tried to see if I knew anyone so I could butt in line, but no such luck. I was so pissed.

Then, I heard that Local Natives were coming to Cannery Ballroom on October 14, 2010. At that point, they were blowing up and had gained plenty of notoriety, so they required a bigger venue than The Basement. I wasn’t going to miss this one. I was prepared this time and I got my ticket way in advance. I sang every single word to “Sun Hands,” “Wide Eyes,” and “Shape Shifter.” They even did their cover of the Talking Head’s “Warning Sign.” Their live show was even better than the record. That’s the way music is supposed to be, right? The record is supposed to document the energy of the live show, or at least be a sincere reflection of it. At least that’s the way I think it’s supposed to be.

So the buzz has started for the new album “Hummingbird,” which will be released on January 29, 2013. I’m superbly excited to say the least. You can listen to the songs “Breakers” and “Heavy Feet” from the new album below.

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Also check out a live performance of the song “Heavy Feet” at Apogee Berkeley’s Street Studio in Santa Monica, CA during a special KCRW concert below.

And you can check out the full concert at the NPR website here.

Finally, Local Natives will be playing Marathon Music Works on March 18, 2013. You can get tickets here. Don’t procrastinate like I did!

You can pre-order the standard version of the album on iTunes here and the deluxe version, which includes some bonus tracks and a digital booklet, here. Get pumped up!