This Is Our Jam: Local Natives, “Heavy Feet”

From car commercials to Edward Sharpe to that one American Idol guy, bucolic imagery and choral melodies have become ubiquitous, which is exactly what makes Local Natives so continuously impressive. Even after we've surpassed our cultural saturation point for foot-stomping harmonic "indie," the Silverlake band still manages to make music that sounds as wide-eyed as the first time you blasted Fleet Foxes in your dorm room.

New single "Heavy Feet," from its upcoming Hummingbird LP (out January 28 via Frenchkiss), is both a widescreen anthem and an introspective lament. With production handled by The National's Aaron Dessner, the band sounds weightier than ever, while maintaining its maximal arrangements and big choruses. "Heavy Feet" is a bittersweet tale of a fading party (and, possibly, a relationship) set to imminently relatable Americana imagery. "Maybe I know better than to read more than what's there," sings Kelcey Ayers, asking the listener to do the same. It's tense, sad, and beautiful in the way that few of Local Natives' contemporaries can muster these days.

Local Natives— Hummingbird "Heavy Feet"