Photo by Eric Ashleigh | showtographe.com

After quickly selling-out their Union Transfer date last month, Local Natives have announced another U.S. leg that brings them back to Philadelphia with openers Wild Nothing for a show at the Electric Factory on September 28th.  The California indie rockers followed up their stunning 2010 debut Gorilla Manor with the expansive and gorgeous Hummingbird earlier this year.  Tickets go on sale Friday, May 17th at noon; more information will be available here.  Check out photos from Local Natives’ Union Transfer show here, listen back to their April appearance on World Cafe here and watch a new video for “Bowery” below.

Photos by Eric Ashleigh | Photo by Eric Ashleigh | showtographe.com

Los Angeles indie rockers Local Natives headlined a sold-out Union Transfer last night, touring in support of their new album Hummingbird. Check out photos from their set in the gallery above.

For over three years now, LA’s Local Natives have wooed audiences with their unique blend of Afro-pop guitars, lush vocal harmonies, and lively, frenetic drumming. Their debut record, 2010’s Gorilla Manor, was a gem of playful, sun-dappled melodies that launched the (previously little-known) group to the indie fore; a string of memorable, high-energy shows helped cement their status as a band to watch.

Now, three years after Gorilla Manor’s release, Local Natives are back with Hummingbird, a decidedly more introspective record that forgoes boisterousness in favor of more nuanced, emotional growers—like the rich, sweeping “Breakers” and the stirringly gorgeous “Colombia.” The record, the band has shared, was inspired by both personal growth and tragedies, such as the death of vocalist/keyboardist Kelcey Ayer’s mother and the departure of bassist Andy Hamm.

Now the band is on the road supporting Hummingbird, and will play Union Transfer this Thursday, April 4. We caught up with singer/guitarist Taylor Rice a few days before the show…to talk Instagram, catharsis, and their favorite song to listen to right before a show.

Local Natives at SXSW (from the band’s Instagram)

The Key: I love following you guys on Instagram and seeing all the amazing places you visit. Who’s in charge of the band’s Instagram?

Taylor Rice: It’s a communally-shared task. Most of the photos probably come from me or Matt, our drummer. If you’re referring to the crowd shots, those come from Matt. Usually at the end of each show, Matt will take a photo of the crowd, which is fun.

TK: So you guys have been very open with the press, as far as delving into some of the driving forces behind Hummingbird—did you guys make a conscious decision at some point to share the details?

TR: We did a make a conscious effort. It was something we talked about, and actually there’s quite a lot that we left out. You know, it’s one of those situations where we don’t want to share everything, but at the same time we did make a decision to talk about some of the things that were really important, just to be direct and honest. It is a very direct and personal record.

TK: Do you think people listen to Hummingbird differently knowing the back story?

TR: Maybe…yeah. I think it can have an effect if you’re in the same emotional spot. But I’ve also heard a lot of people say they think a particular song is about… something that it’s absolutely not about. So that happens too.

TK: Since Gorilla Manor, you guys have grown exponentially in popularity—you toured with The National and The Arcade Fire, you were on Jimmy Fallon, etc. How has the day-to-day life of the band changed as a result? How are things different now, than say three years ago?

TR: Well, on this current U.S. tour, one major change is that we actually have a little more free time, because we have a couple more helping hands to help us set up and sound check and that gives us more time to visit every city we play in. Touring can definitely be a whirlwind of venues sometimes and far less glamorous than I think people on the outside realize. But it’s been really awesome to have time to ourselves and to investigate the cities we’re in.

TK: I saw you guys last time you came to town, and it was such a joyous, celebratory vibe, which I also sorta got listening to Gorilla Manor. Hummingbird, of course, is a bit more nuanced and emotional—how does this change your live show?

TR: The record is maybe less buoyant and energetic than Gorilla Manor, but it’s a very cathartic record, and there’s this undercurrent of joy and catharsis throughout, so playing, especially live, our music tends to take on its own communal, celebratory energy. This tour is also really fun because now we have two records, so we’re able to play music from both, just trading out songs every night. It’s the first time where we actually have more songs than we can play live in a night. So it’s worked really well having the two records to pull from.

TK: Do you have any traditions or rituals you use to get psyched for a show?

TR: (laughs) We have a little ritual to get ready where we kinda take a moment, and get psyched. And every tour has a different song that we play we beforehand. (Pauses.) Do you remember where you saw us last time we toured?

TK: It was upstairs at the First Unitarian Church in Philly.

TR: Ahh. That tour, I think we played [Prince’s] “I Would Die for You” before we would go on. This tour, we’re doing “Young Americans” by David Bowie.

TK: Nice! So do you guys just sit around in a circle and listen to “Young Americans”, or do you all fist-pump and do a little dance?

TR: (laughs) That will remain behind the curtain. But definitely part of it is getting psyched up together.

TK: So you guys spend a lot of time in the van. What do you like to listen to on the road?

TR: Tons of stuff.  Lately, the new Nick Cave record, and the new Atoms for Peace record, Amok. Those are my most played…I think they’re both really incredible records. But we’ve been listening to tons of new music, and also we have our faves. Like I had a pretty intense Leonard Cohen phase. My obsession period is sorta over for now, but I’ll return to that later I’m sure.

TK: What’s coming up next for you guys?

TR: Well, the tour goes until early April, and then after that, we head over to Coachella. That’s actually a really big deal for us; it’s one of our favorite festivals to play because it’s the one that we all grew up going to. We’re all from Southern California. So we’re really excited about that one.

Then after that, it just keeps going, like, forever. After Coachella, we have a West Coast tour…then we have a few days off, and then we go to Australia. Then it’s festival season, and then another tour.

TK: Wow, that sounds crazy!  Any immediate plans to make a new record?

TR: No, no, no, not yet (laughs). We’ll definitely work on music on the road, but with this [last] record in particular, it was really important that we took our time. The way that we write is very collaborative and communal, so it’s hard for us to really be in record mode unless we’re giving EVERYTHING to that. So when we’re touring, it’s a good time to write and be creative, but it can be hard to really focus and think about the big picture.

But it’s hard to even THINK about another record now, because it still feels like this one is just kicking off. And we’re still getting comfortable with it. So a new record feels distant at this point. For now, we’re focusing on Hummingbird.

TK: We don’t blame you, and can’t wait to hear it live!

Local Natives play Union Transfer, 1024 Spring Garden St., on Thursday, April 4. The all-ages show starts at 8:30 and tickets are sold-out.

• Street Burnby The National Rifle from Almost EndlessDownload

California indie alt-poppers Local Natives may have already sold out their Union Transfer date in April, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still enjoy their new LP Hummingbird.  The band has made lead track “You & I” available as a free download on their Soundcloud.  The song is reminiscent of the band’s 2010 debut Gorilla Manor with it’s bright guitars and heavy drums, but slants the overall tone in a more mysterious direction.

Nashville’s Photo Ops (Terry Price) has said his goal when recording his upcoming album How to Say Goodbye was to pay homage to three influences – Paul Simon’s self-titled debut (1972), Dion’s Born to Be With You (1972) and The Radio Dept.’s Clinging to a Scheme (2010).  Price blends the classic 70s melodies of the Phil Spector-produced albums with the dreamy, lush production of The Radio Dept. effortlessly on the How to Say Goodbye.  Go here to download “Someplace.”

Each weekday in February, World Cafe will be offering a free download from recent sessions, forming a 20 song, limited edition sampler by the end of the month.  The first offering was 2012 favorite Lord Huron‘s Cafe take of “Ends of the Earth” off of their Lonesome Dreams debut.  Stream and download the song below, and check back all month to complete the collection.  Listen to the full Lord Huron session here.

Lancaster folk trio The Stray Birds came in for a Key Studio Session this week, recording  four songs from their latest self-titled LP and reaching back to 2010′s Borderland EP for “My Horses Ain’t Hungry.”  Thanks to their classic approach to folk music blending both catchy, invigorating melodies with more adventurous explorations of Appalachian-style compositions, The Stray Birds recently received praise from NPR and Folk Alley.  Stream and download “Dream in Blue” below from their Key Studio Session and grab the full set here.

• Dream in Blueby The Stray Birds from The Key Studio SessionsDownload

It’s been a great year for music fans, but it’s time to start looking ahead to 2013. While you ponder your new year’s resolutions, take some time to look at upcoming concerts and releases—there’s a lot of stuff to get excited about. Some of my favorite artists are putting out new albums next year, and most have already scheduled Philly shows as well. Here’s a list of the 5 albums I’m most excited to hear in 2013.

1. Josh Ritter – Beast In Its Tracks – March 5th (playing The Trocadero on May 16th)

Josh Ritter has been my favorite singer-songwriter for a while now, so it’s great to see that the wait for the follow up to 2010′s So Runs the World Away, his fantastic 6th LP, is almost over. Beast in Its Tracks will end that wait on March 5th. According to Josh himself, It was born in the 18 months after his marriage had fallen apart. That’s right, it’s a Josh Ritter heartbreak album. And I couldn’t be more excited.

2. Frightened Rabbit – Passenger Verse – February 5th (playing Union Transfer on April 6th)

Frightened Rabbit is a band that just keeps getting better and better. The Scottish band gained acclaim here in the U.S. after their brilliant 2008 record, The Midnight Organ Fight. In 2010, they released another great album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, that found them an even larger fan-base. Passenger Verse will be their major label debut, a jump that adds a little anxiety to the anticipation of the record–but the songs we’ve heard so far (“The Woodpile,” “Dead Now,” and “State Hospital”) indicate this may just be their best album yet.

3. Dawes – TBA

Earlier this fall, Taylor Goldsmith took to Twitter to let us know that Dawes had finished their next record, so it’s safe to assume it will see its release sometime in 2013. The group followed their outstanding 2009 debut, North Hills, with the jaw-dropping Nothing is Wrong in 2011, and I’ve got a good feeling they’ll continue the upward trend with an even better third LP.

4. Local Natives – Breakers – January 29th  (playing Union Transfer on April 4th)

Local Natives’ upcoming sophomore album is one I’m nervously excited to hear. It’s a long-awaited follow up to a critically-acclaimed debut, Gorilla Manor (fall 2009), so the pressure is on. There’s a chance the album is a major disappointment, and an equal chance it’s one of the year’s best.

5. Hey Marseilles – Lines We Trace – March 5th (playing Johnny Brenda’s on March 27th)

Another band that’s taken their sweet time getting out a sophomore LP, albeit with much less pressure, is Hey Marseilles. Their debut album, To Travels and Trunks, was originally released in 2008 (and re-released in 2010) and has unfairly gone a bit unnoticed. Lines We Trace will come out on March 5th and I hope to see it bring this talented Seattle group more recognition.

Honorable mentions: Toy Soldiers – The Maybe Boys (TBA), DRGN KING – Paragraph Nights (January 22), Nightlands – Oak Island (January 22)

When a new indie band goes from unknown zero to Internet hero just over 10 months after releasing its debut record, it is bound to be met with some skepticism. (After all, the method by which the next critics’ darling is anointed often seems like it involves a list of band names and a dartboard.) So what to make of Silver Lake’s Local Natives, whose Gorilla Manor came out in the U.S.  back in mid-February via French Kiss Records and was met with instant acclaim—including Pitchfork dubbing the quintet “sort of a West Coast Grizzly Bear”? Fear not, those who are weary of such lazy comparisons: Gorilla Manor is a vocal-harmony-, rolling-percussion-, and swelling-orchestration-laden album deserving of all praise it has received so far (and will likely receive again in a couple of months when every music publication is putting together its “Best Of 2010″ lists). For further proof, check out the band’s new video for “Wide Eyes” below (via Pitchfork TV). Local Natives perform with The Ruby Suns and The Union Line at 7:30 p.m. at The Trocadero; tickets to the all-ages show are $15.

Also playing: Carousel, Apollo Run, The Minimalist, New Madrid at Northstar Bar (8 p.m., 21+, $8); JEFF The Brotherhood, The Spooks, Bandname at Kung Fu Necktie (8 p.m., 21+, $8)