Local Natives

Local Natives hail from Silverlake in the USA.  They have recently completed a UK tour as part of the NME Radar Tour and today release a new single ahead of their album launch next month.  Drummer of the band, Matthew Frazier, answers our questions about the name of their album, favourite places to gig and highlights of the summer.

Describe your music in five words.Percussion driven harmony laden collective.

What are your influences in making music?If you were to ask each of us individually, you’d probably get five completely different answers to this question.  The good thing is, being such a collaborative unit, drawing inspiration from five different directions is part of what makes this band unique.  You can trace inspiration from the likes of Broken Social Scene or Animal Collective all the way to bands like CSNY or The Zombies.

Who would you most like to collaborate with?Nigel Godrich.

You’re album is called Gorilla Manor – are Gorilla’s your favourite animal?Gorilla Manor is actually the name we lovingly gave the house we all lived in while writing and recording most of the album.  The name has less to do with our preferences within the animal kingdom and more to do with the fact that if we had to choose one animal to embody the nature of this band, it would be the gorilla.  Personally I’ve always been fascinated by giant squids and how they’re so damn elusive, but I don’t think Squid Manor would of had nearly the same effect.

You’ve recently toured with the NME in the UK and joined by Golden Silvers, Yes Giantess and Marina & The Diamonds – what do you think of the other bands music?I liked the diversity of this tour, each band is doing something completely different… We’re all able to stand out in our own way.  I hadn’t actually seen any of the other bands live until our first show.  I must say I was impressed with Golden Silver’s harmonies.

Do you enjoy performing in the UK?  Is there a difference to a UK crowd from a USA crowd?It’s one of those things that I always dreamt about as a kid, but always felt so far out of my reach.  Being allowed to travel due to the music that we’ve been writing is incredible.  Needless to say, I love performing in the UK.  So far, it seems as if most UK crowds have welcomed us with open arms.

What has been your most wild gig so far?The Latitude Festival was wild in the sense that we literally played in the middle of a forest.  It was otherworldly… one of the most memorable by far.  There’s something to be said about that UK festival camaraderie.

Where is your favourite place to perform?It’s tough to choose just one place.  In LA, I’m inclined to choose a Silverlake venue called Spaceland.  It’s been a huge asset in helping us build a decent fanbase in our hometown.  Aside from the states, back in July, we had the opportunity to play Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London… Another venue that ranks high for me.  Amazing sound, beautiful venue.

What are your plans following the UK tour?We’ve got a pretty packed schedule until the middle part of December.  Immediately following this UK run, we fly to New York for the CMJ Festival, followed by a 6 week lap around the US… One week with White Rabbits and the rest with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and a great LA based band called Fool’s Gold.  We’re hoping to be back in the UK by early to mid January.

What was the highlight of your summer?Thom Yorke’s set at Latitude.

Local Natives new single, Camera Talk is out today and album Gorilla Mansion is unleashed on November 2nd under Infectious Music. [Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com/blog, October 2009]