“Heavy Feet” starts out with tense percussion, sounding like a steady and slow train that promises to brings the listener somewhere amazing. And the song is so personal and intimate that it is clear that the entire band is along for the ride.
When vocalist/keyboardist Kelcey Ayer first begins to sing, the simple piano chords and edgy drums take on a melancholic tone. His voice is pure and emotive, his own feelings very raw and revealed within every note. The soaring chorus ushers in a three-part harmony as the rest of the group joins along amongst the backdrop of swift handclaps. Together, they sing an anthem of “After everything, after everything, left in the sun shivering, after everything.”
The result is a song that is sad, lovely, and energetic at the very same time.
Local Natives formed and matured in Orange County, and I can’t help but notice that this west coast influence seems to infect their music. This song in particular brings forth images of watery sunsets, crashing waves, and footprints in wet sand. It has a laid-back and mellow vibe that I’ve always connected with the west and nighttime on the beach. And somehow Local Natives still manage to capture the eerily vast and unnervingly deep qualities of the mysterious sea, slowing the drums down in some moments to allow simple guitar plucking to take precedence.
It is a beautiful sound.
“Heavy Feet” is one of the two singles from Local Natives’ second studio album, and they could not have picked a better song to preview. It is catchy and addictive and will have you singing along, even if you don’t mean to.