None of Local Hero’s members have even reached 20 years old, but you wouldn’t know it by their low key, chilled-out surf rock jams. Sure, there’s plenty of youthful energy at work with this Berkeley, California band, but they manage to harness it into five songs that lean on strong guitar licks and that hazy summer vibe. And I think the rough edges that still exist here only serve to make the hooks and melodies more genuine, more earnest.
Just listen to the riff and “ahh ahh” backing vocals that open up “Gold Coast,” and you know you’re in for a treat. The lyrics read like a sort of tongue-in-cheek apology for embracing a fast-and-loose lifestyle, and there’s enough sha la la’s and lazy strumming to make the musical mood fit the words. If these guys are making music this enjoyable as teenagers, I can’t wait to see and hear what they’re up to in their 20′s and beyond.
Download “Gold Coast” below, and stream Local Hero’s debut EP The Aldgate in its entirety as well. “The Cold Months” and “Indoor Winters” — perhaps two song titles you’d not expect to see from a California band — are catchy favorites as well.
Local Hero – The Gold Coast by The Wounded Jukebox
The Aldgate – EP by Local Hero!
–Sean
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[...] review of The Aldgate EP (chalk up another Vampire Weekend comparison) and music aficionados The Wounded Jukebox posted on The Gold Coast. Head over there for a free download. Exciting, [...]
[...] when The Wounded Jukebox posted on The Gold Coast last month, our song got added into the Hype Machine! This was very exciting for [...]
[...] us to be featured on a dozen different music sites since the EP’s release, including Earmilk, The Wounded Jukebox and On My Radar. He’s been absolutely lights-out. Without him Local Hero would be in a very [...]