The year’s But I’ll Wait For You, the sixth album from Local Natives, captures the indie-rock stalwarts at what they call a “time of metamorphosis.” A sister album to 2023’s Time Will Wait For No One, it’s the product of a creatively fertile return to the studio in 2021. The pandemic marked the longest period that the LA-based quintet ever spent apart, so themes of isolation, parenthood and the passage of time were front of mind when they returned to the studio.
“When we got back together, there was a lot to write about,” Local Natives member Taylor Rice tells Isthmus. He describes the titles Time Will Wait For No One and But I’ll Wait For You as representing a “moment of the whole world stopping, and you’re kind of taking stock that you’re not in control.”
It was, he says, “exciting just to be together again. It kicked off a prolific period for us.”
The release of But I’ll Wait For You in April came at another turning point for Local Natives, as founding member Kelcey Ayer announced just 10ten days after the album’s release that he would — amicably — be leaving the band. Before he officially says goodbye, Ayer is joining the band for the final leg of their Time Will Wait For No One, But I’ll Wait For You tour. Its final date is in Madison at The Sylvee Nov. 23, with special guests Krooked Kings.
Knowing these are the last shows with Ayer has made them more meaningful for the band. “The biggest change is performing together knowing there’s a limit on how many shows we’re going to do together,” Rice says. “It’s been bittersweet for sure, but it’s mostly been joyful. I think the shows on this tour have felt that way, and internally it’s felt good for us, too.”
After almost 20 years of performing together, the camaraderie among members Rice (guitar, vocals), Ayer (keyboard, guitar, vocals), Ryan Hahn (guitar, vocals), Nik Ewing (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Matthew Frazier (drums) is essential to their dynamic both onstage and in the studio. Founding members Rice, Ayer and Hahn played music together in high school and college under the name Cavill at Rest before rounding out their lineup with Frazier and former bassist Andy Hamm. The quintet changed their name to Local Natives when they moved into a house together to work on their debut album, 2009’s Gorilla Manor. Rice recalls their early sessions in the rehearsal space feeding off each other’s energy as they collaborated on Gorilla Manor hits like the kinetic “Wide Eyes.”
Ayer and Rice often share lead vocal duties on Local Natives tracks, which are defined by the band’s Southern California-inspired guitar melodies, energetic drumming, and signature three-part harmonies — an element that sets them apart from their contemporaries.
“The way we sing harmony is pretty unique to us,” says Rice.”
Rice describes the band as “democratic,” with different members taking singing and songwriting roles.
“Each song starts with one of us, so there’s a sense of individual ownership,” Rice explains. “But for a Local Natives song to really go the distance, it has to go through the process of mixing ideas from everyone involved.” There are exceptions, like the Fleetwood Mac-esque track “Dark Days,” which made it onto the album sounding much like the original demo.
The band enlisted Grammy-winning producer John Congleton to shape But I’ll Wait For You. Rice points to “Alpharetta,” the album’s opening track, as a song that changed shape during the recording process with Congleton. He had the band record three versions including an upbeat, surf-rock variation — until the quintet landed on the stripped-down version that felt more like what the song always wanted to be.
Fans can expect to hear “Alpharetta” and other fan favorites when Ayer performs his final show with Local Natives at The Sylvee.
“We want to represent what we did together before we move on,” Rice says. “There was a feeling of, ‘is that going to feel okay for us?’ and it really has. It also speaks to our relationship and how long it’s been, but it feels celebratory, and I feel a sense of gratitude for what we have and what we’ve had and being able to enjoy that.”
