California is an undeniable musical epicenter rich with varying cultures and influences. There are many faces to these statewide Pacific lifestyles, though this particular skew is what I imagine a lazy day in California would sound like if it was represented by a song. The feeling of content inaction looms as “Ceilings” promotes an adventurous mind within a still body. The piano and guitar parallel each other in a repetitive and oscillating pattern that leaves the listener feeling like they’re in a comfortable state of mental limbo. “Ceilings” is essentially an introvert’s personal soundtrack, although the song’s message is anything but desired from it’s dreamy perspective.

Local Natives confess a tired yet reusable theme in “Ceilings” through the inability to accept a failing relationship. The protagonist can’t think for himself as he drags from his significant other’s previously detested cigarette and accepts whatever that significant other tells him is truth, whether it’s believable or not. The dreams of a when the relationship was precious are now simply lined with silver and rotten to the core, hence the “silver dreams”. All the while these dreams are impossible to get rid of given the subconscious inability to let go.

Local Natives is still fresh on the music scene, as they released a polarizing hit-or-miss album back in September titled “Sunlit Youth” in which their single “Coins” was featured on my “Best of 2016: Q3” playlist. Not every song was a winner or even worthy of listening to more than once, but boy do their old albums hit home.  Their debut album “Gorilla Manor” was a  one of my favorite albums released in 2010, while their follow-up 2013 album “Hummingbird” was a an alternative hit widely acclaimed by musical publications worldwide. It’s also worth mentioning that they’ve got some seriously fun Cali blood flowing through their veins. In my experience seeing them in concert, I debated with my friend what their opening song would be for at least ten minutes before the came running out and starting singing and dancing with the widest smiles on their faces to “Young American” by David Bowie. It’s safe to assume that no one guessed that one correctly . RIP Starman, rock on So-Cal indie crew.