Local Natives: KCRW Live from HQ

OC-bred, LA-based Local Natives has been making music together since they were teenagers — and we’ve been fans for nearly as long. Their rhythm-forward indie rock grooves caught our ears via early singles like “Sun Hands” from their breakthrough 2009 debut Gorilla Manor. 

The subsequent years have seen them leveling up considerably — enlisting The National’s Aaron Dessner for production on their 2013 sophomore album Hummingbird, joining forces with Sylvan Esso in 2020 for a fiercely well-received update to their already-viral 2016 hit “Dark Days,” and continuing to build their loyal fanbase. 

Fresh from headlining the Hollywood Bowl, and ahead of amicably parting ways with founding member Kelcey Ayer, the band — Taylor Rice (vocals, guitar), Ryan Hahn (vocals, guitar), Nik Ewing (vocals, bass, keys), Matt Frazier (drums), and Ayer (vocals, keys) — brings a poignant and stirring catalog-mining set to KCRW’s Annenberg Performance Studio.

Watch via the video above for crackling live renditions of big ones like “Dark Days,” “When Am I Gonna Lose You?,” and “I Saw You Close Your Eyes.” They also tear into cuts from their recent pair of LPs, 2023’s Time Will Wait For No One and 2024’s But I’ll Wait For You. And be sure to check out Rice’s interview with Chris Douridas tackling navigating isolation, knowing when it’s time to move on, and (most importantly) knowing when it’s time to drop the double album.

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