Hello and welcome to episode 171 of the ACPG podcast.
This week Ben is zooming with Los Angeles where he spoke with Nick and Kelsey of the fantastic Local Natives.
Now, I (Ben) have been a massive fan of Local Natives since their debut album Gorilla Manor and especially the songs Sun Hands and Airplanes. So it was great to talk to them about that but also the release of their new album Time Waits For No One. We spoke about the new album, record release parties, and touring, and more.
The album was preceded at the tail-end of last year by the swaggering psychedelia-tinged indie-pop of ‘Just Before the Morning’ which jumped up to the B-list at 6Music, as well as seeing them doing an LA residency back in December that saw them joined on the stage by contemporaries including Best Coast, Darkside and Miya Folick. The past year or so has also seen them hit up Jimmy Kimmel twice, one of which saw them joined by Sharon Van Etten for their collaborative track ‘Lemon’, while they also headed out on a sold-out US tour last summer as well as stop-offs at Lollapalooza, Outsidelands and a bunch more staples of the US festival circuit. The band are also celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their commercial breakthrough Hummingbird album this year, which feels ripe for revisiting (it is still a total knockout).
This new set finds the band linking with Grammy-winning producer John Congleton (Death Cab, Sharon Van Etten, St. Vincent) for a run of sessions across a number of historic LA studios that birthed a set of songs rooted in metamorphosis: taking in newfound fatherhood, periods of isolation, loss and identity crisis. Through it all though, the band were reminded that the constants are the people you love and - in their case - their fellow bandmates. While the album’s title Time Will Wait For No One has its ominous undertones, the sentiment at the core of the album is that your loved ones will.
Can’t recommend spending a bit of headphone time with the new record enough if you get a moment, the production on it is glorious - something they’ve really honed over the four albums to date that have seen them quietly become one of the most consistently acclaimed bands of the last decade (not a single album below a 75 on Metacritic).
Thank you to Nick and Kelsey, and Alex and Vanessa for all their help with this episode.
ACPG 017: Nick Helm - Comedian Songwriter - talks song writing for TV shows, cramming detail into short songs, and how to start the song writing process
ACPG 016: Kathryn Williams - Artist - talks song writing for yourself vs. others, song writing classes and stage fright
ACPG 015: Pete Dale (Part 2) - Musician & Ex label Owner - talks vinyl, the costs of releasing a single, and the time involved in running a record label
ACPG 014: Pete Dale (Part 1) - Musician & Ex label Owner - talks the benefits of self-releasing music, the importance of physical song releases, choosing which acts are on a label, and label identity
ACPG 013: Mark Morriss - The Bluetones - talks repartee, crowdfunding and the importance of musicians getting paid
ACPG 012: Joy Ike (Part 2) - Singer Songwriter - talks house concerts; what you need to know, how to put them on and things to watch out for.
ACPG 011: Joy Ike (Part 1) - Singer Songwriter - talks promoting yourself, how much to share, and what exactly are house concerts
ACPG 010: Mr B - The Gentleman Rhymer - talks creating and living a persona, DIY management and tailored merchandise
ACPG 009: Nicola Milan - Vocal Coach - talks breathing, placing your muscles, vocal tone and conveying emotion
ACPG 008: Mark Duffett (Part 2) - Chester University - talks being a star, being a fan, entertaining people, ideas and values and collaboration.
ACPG 007: Mark Duffett (Part 1) - Chester University - talks tradition, consistent image, being memorable, playing your audience as an instrument and using your music.
ACPG 006: Roddy Woomble - Idlewild - talks support slots, middle men, and having a creative space
ACPG 005: Sari Delmar - Concord Music Group - talks how to promote your music, publicists, having a story and vision, and being unique
ACPG 004: Ross Millard (Part 2) - The Futureheads - talks set lists, recording, external perspectives, record labels and being allowed to fail
ACPG 003: Ross Millard (Part 1) - The Futureheads - talks learning guitar, forming a band, practice, being honest and band manifestos.
ACPG 002: Mark Radcliffe - BBC Radio - talks radio, demos and Glastonbury
ACPG 001: Paul Smith - Maximo Park - talks song writing, stage craft and image
ACPG 000: Introductory Episode - Ben and James - discuss what the podcast is all about
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