Sunday ACL Fest Record Reviews
Local Natives
Sunlit Youth (Loma Vista)
Reviewed by Abby Johnston, Fri., Sept. 30, 2016
With 2010 debut Gorilla Manor, Local Natives served immediately palatable, but undeniably expansive rock. The Silver Lake fivepiece has pressed its boundaries and challenged its audiences since, a trend that continues on third LP Sunlit Youth. There's so much to recognize as distinctly Local Natives: the climbing, upper-fret guitar lines punctuating "Past Lives," the tribal drumming on "Dark Days," and warm harmonies throughout the album. Even so, the band pushes boundaries with the Eighties-drenched digital beat of "Villainy" and roots-blues licks of "Coins." Everything we love about Local Natives remains, but they make us work harder for it. (4pm, Honda stage)