Stream: Local Natives, ‘Desert Snow’ and ‘Hourglass’

Kevin Bronson on July 22nd, 2022

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In advance of a month-long summer tour, L.A. quintet Local Natives have returned with a two-song release of mellow-fellow pop that sounds like they spent the entire COVID-19 lockdown in their bedrooms with acoustic guitars.

In actuality, “Desert Snow” and “Hourglass” were the result of the band reassembling and taking stock of things. “After the heartbreak and insanity of the past few years, when we finally got together to make music again, these songs reconnected and reignited us,” the band says.

Both “Desert Snow” and “Hourglass” — the former produced by Michael Harris, the latter by John Congleton — come with the warm synths and campfire harmonies typical of Local Natives’ four albums. “Desert Snow,” the band says, was inspired by a Joshua Tree trip, where the quintet meditated on “the duality of vulnerability and strength — both relying on the person you love and being someone they can rely on.” “Hourglass” is an isolation lament that unleashes Local Natives’ buoyant harmonies at its midway point.

“This music got us through really difficult times and reminded us how much joy we get out of playing music together,” Local Natives say. “We couldn’t be more excited to share these songs and play them live on our first tour in 3 years.”

Local Natives’ most recent album, “Violet Street,” their fourth, came out in 2019.

||| Stream: “Desert Snow” and “Hourglass”