Local Natives were never meant to be a small band. From their debut, Gorilla Manor, they spun a taut web of wiry guitars, clattering drums and otherworldly harmonies. Those elements are still the band’s main building blocks on Sunlit Youth, but they’re augmented by glittering synths and its sharpest songs yet. Still at the heart of the band is the push/pull dynamic of guitarist Taylor Rice and keyboardist Kelcey Ayer. Though one or the other usually sits at the front of each song, the whole band is showcased throughout.
Sunlit Youth plays out in that mythical sense of an album with two distinct sides. The first is a collection of undeniable anthems, anchored by the opening punch of early singles “Villainy” and “Past Lives.” The album takes on a much more fluid, gooey nature on its back half; the recurring vocal samples on “Coins” and a keyboard loop that gurgles beneath the propulsive “Psycho Lovers.” Having carved out a signature sound from the start, Local Natives continue to sound both fresh and familiar.
—Eric Schuman
