‘We’ve been friends for nearly 20 years, and sometimes you just have to laugh at the craziness of it all.’ | Local Natives interviewed

It’s a late autumn day, and Local Natives’ Taylor Rice and Ryan Hahn are preparing for their band’s arrival in London, where their sixth album, But I’ll Wait for You, will soon echo across the city at EartH in Hackney. But this tour comes with something extra: a 30-minute LP film that the band crafted with their long-time friend and director Jonathan Chu. Not simply a music video, the film marks a new creative chapter, capturing the band’s growth and the unbreakable ties between its members.

Sitting across from the two musicians, it’s easy to sense a comfortable dynamic that comes from years of collaboration and mutual respect. Rice and Hahn, who met in seventh grade, reflect on the project and the nostalgic layers it brings. “After we finished But I’ll Wait for You, it felt like we needed something else – a visual element that could tell the story of being in this band, something a little surreal but real at the same time,” Rice begins. The film, inspired by a ‘70s BBC Harry Nilsson special, creates an almost hypnotic nostalgia for a time gone by.

Hahn describes their director’s influence on the style: “Jonathan showed us The Conversation, and it became this major reference for us. That opening Plaza shot captures these isolated moments. It’s a long-lens view of the band members, each person doing their thing, each piece filling the picture, all separated but somehow part of a whole.”

The new LP film sees Local Natives stepping into a fresh way of storytelling. The band – originally formed with three singers and a harmonic style inspired by the likes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – has always embraced collaboration over spotlighted egos. In this project, they bring the audience into that harmonious yet sometimes chaotic space, capturing the humour, conflict, and warmth of five people working together as one.

“There are moments of genuine conflict in the film,” Hahn says, “when we almost forgot the camera was there. That’s when it felt real, like watching our rehearsal space turned into this weird mirror where we’re razzing each other, goofing off, or genuinely getting on each other’s nerves.” Rice chuckles at the memory, adding, “It’s all love – there’s this sense of camaraderie that comes through the lens, where you see that we can argue but still keep going. Making a record is a bit like a battle, especially with so many creative egos, but that love is always there.”

With nearly two decades behind them, Rice and Hahn have grown into a sense of time’s fleeting nature. Their last two albums, Time Will Wait for No One and But I’ll Wait for You, reflect a contemplation of impermanence – a double record project grappling with themes of transformation and holding on to what matters. Hahn notes, “As we’ve aged, time has become this massive, inescapable theme. You can’t stop it. You can’t slow it down. But you do have some choice in how you spend it, who you’re with, and what you create.”

Yet, the poignancy of these reflections doesn’t mask the ever-present humour that keeps Local Natives moving forward. Rice recalls a moment in the film where the band riffs on an old Three Stooges bit, complete with mock punches and bandaged heads, a light-hearted nod to the playful tension that characterises their music-making. “It’s really taking the mick out of ourselves. We’ve known each other for so long, and sometimes you just have to laugh at the craziness of it all.”

The band’s future looks set to evolve, especially with the departure of co-founder Kelsey Ayer. Rice’s tone becomes contemplative as he discusses Ayer’s departure, “We’ve known this was coming, and we’re excited for him. It’s all love, and we’re so grateful for everything we’ve done together. Now, there’s this opportunity for Ryan and me to explore some new directions.”

He and Hahn hint at a potential shift in the band’s sound, describing how they’ve been experimenting with filmic arrangements and textural grooves that lend themselves to storytelling. “We’re not going to completely reinvent ourselves,” Hahn says, “but I think we might take things in a direction that’s a little more psychedelic, a little more cinematic, something that still feels like us but is moving forward.”

In the film, the song ‘Nina’ introduces an enigmatic character who stands on a plastic island, surrounded by seagulls, a vision of longing and disconnection. Hahn muses, “That plastic island is more than just a setting. It’s a metaphor for craving something solid in a world that’s always changing.” The image of Nina on her island captures the duality of their project, a meditation on what remains amidst an ever-shifting reality.

Rice then adds, “Time is a constant, and we all want something that’ll last. But you reach a point where you can’t keep holding on to everything. At some point, you have to let go and focus on the things that really matter.”

As our conversation draws to a close, the significance of Local Natives’ journey – both past and present – feels clear. The film, with its reflective narrative and nostalgic visuals, celebrates enduring friendship and the mutual dedication these musicians share. And as the band prepares to take the stage in London, they carry with them nearly two decades of evolution and the promise of new sounds yet to come.

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