A companion album to 2023's
Time Will Wait for No One
,
Local Natives
' sixth album, 2024's
But I'll Wait for You
, offers more of the enticingly sultry alt-rock-meets-soul atmosphere of its predecessor. Produced by
John Congleton
, the album was recorded during the same sessions as
. Not surprisingly, then, it works as an aesthetic continuation of the sound of that album, one steeped in smooth, falsettoed harmonies and dewy guitar and keyboard lines. This is a good thing, and cuts like "Throw It in the Fire," "Camera Shy," and "April" are as hooky as anything off
, nicely showcasing the group's nuanced blend of soul and rock influences. Once again, singer
Taylor Rice
shines, as on "Neon Memory," where his yearning croon deftly underscores the band's long-simmering
Jeff Buckley
influence. There is a sleepy, sun-baked eroticism to
, as in "As Soon as You Arrive," where
Rice
, evoking an emotional unburdening, sings, "Soon as you arrive, you'll start to feel it/All the weight lifted as you set down your bags/Blooming desert flowers/White sand and idle hours." It's an enticing vibe, even as some of the tracks bleed into each other towards the latter half of the album. Nonetheless, the fact that
are able to pull a wholly separate, not to mention catchy and emotionally engaging, album from those initial
Congleton
sessions speaks to the high level of quality and artistic inspiration they were working with. The album also works as a farewell to founding keyboardist/singer
Kelce Ayer
, who revealed he was amicably leaving the group following the tour for the album, a choice that perhaps adds some weight to their decision to release more of their final recordings together. A warm echo of
is the call-and-response album
fans may not have asked for but will surely appreciate. ~ Matt Collar