Listen to another new song from Local Natives, “Villainy,” see them at Electric Factory this fall

Local Natives have been quite mysterious when it comes to the details of their forthcoming third LP. At the end of April, we got to hear the first new music from the LA band in three years with “Past Lives,” but with no album information. To add to the suspense, the band’s Facebook page has been teasing fans the past few days with ambiguous and un-captioned photos and videos.

This week, it comes to a head, with a new song yesterday and a tour announcement today that brings the band to Philly this October for a headlining Electric Factory gig.

On Monday, the band revealed another track from what we now know is called Sunlit Youth on Beats 1 Radio with Zane Lowe. The song, “Villainy,” deviates from the rim hits and snares we grew accustomed to on their debut Gorilla Manor and sophomore LP Hummingbird. In an interview with Lowe, the band said the track began as something they were just writing for fun on a plane ride, originally intending to contain dance rhythms and no guitar. But when it went from one member to the next, the band as a whole became more excited and took it from there.

That sort of experimental approach is a new path for the Local Natives. In that same interview, which you can hear below, the guys explain that in a way this album feels like it’s a first. Instead of fine-tuning 16 or 18 songs, they’ve worked on over 50. As for this one in particular, “Villainy” does still contain some recognizable Local Natives elements. The chants that echo towards its tail end eerily remind of the sounds of Gorilla Manor. 

The band also announced its 2016 tour, which brings it to the Electric Factory on Wednesday, October 19th. Tickets and more information on the show can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar. Below, listen to “Villany,” check out the album art and track listing, and read the tour dates.

Sunlit Youth tracklist:
1. Villainy
2. Past Lives
3. Dark Days
4. Fountain Of Youth
5. Masters
6. Jellyfish
7. Coins
8. Mother Emanuel
9. Ellie Alice
10. Psycho Lovers
11. Everything All At Once
12. Sea Of Years

Local Natives Sunlit Youth album art | courtesy of the artist

Tour Dates
07/16/16 – Louisville, KY – Forecastle Festival
07/31/16 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
08/19/16 – Hasselt – Pukkelpop
08/20/16 – Eskilstuna – Gainesville
08/21/16 – Biddinghuizen – Lowlands
08/22/16 – Winterthur – Musikfestwochen
08/24/16 – Paris – La Boule Noire
08/26/16 – Cologne – c/o pop Festival
08/28/16 – Turin – Todays Festival
08/29/16 – Ljubljana – Kino Siska
09/02/16 – San Sebastian – Kutxa Kultur Festival
09/03/16 – Dorset – End of the Road Festival
09/04/16 – Dublin – Electric Picnic
09/14/16 – Tempe, AZ – The Marquee Theatre
09/15/16 – San Diego, CA – The North Park Theatre
09/16/16 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
09/17/16 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
09/19/16 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
09/20/16 – Seattle, WA – The Moore Theatre
09/22/16 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
09/23/16 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
09/24/16 – Kansas City, MO – CrossroadsKC
09/27/16 – Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater
09/28/16 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
09/30/16 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
10/02/16 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Music Festival
10/05/16 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
10/07/16 – New Orleans, LA – Civic Theatre
10/09/16 – Austin, TX – Austin City Limits Music Festival
10/11/16 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City Birmingham
10/12/16 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
10/14/16 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
10/15/16 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
10/16/16 – Washington DC – 9:30 Club
10/17/16 – Washington DC – 9:30 Club
10/19/16 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
10/21/16 – Providence, RI – Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
10/22/16 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
10/25/16 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
10/26/16 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
11/01/16 – Oxford – Academy 1
11/02/16 – London – Koko
11/04/16 – Bristol – Motion
11/06/16 – Glasgow – QMU
11/07/16 – Leeds – Stylus
11/08/16 – Manchester – Albert Hall
11/10/16 – Paris – Trianon
11/11/16 – Zurich – Rote Fabrik
11/12/16 – Brussels – Cirque Royal
11/13/16 – Amsterdam – Paradiso
11/15/16 – Milan – Magnolia
11/16/16 – Hamburg – Uebel & Gefaehrlich
11/17/16 – Berlin – Bi Nuu
11/19/16 – Stockholm – Debaser Medis
11/20/16 – Oslo – Rockfeller
11/21/16 – Gothenburg – Pustervik
11/22/16 – Copenhagen – Vega Main Hall