"Coins" by LOCAL NATIVES

Long-distance sucks

Long distance relationships, an increasingly common phenomenon enabled by advancements in technology, are some of the most difficult types of relationships to maintain. LA-based indie group Local Natives addresses the emotional struggles involving long distance relationships with the single “Coins” off of their recently released third studio album Sunlit Youth. Starting off with a soulful and stripped down guitar and piano duet punctuated by simple bass guitar, kick drum, and snare drum half notes, “Coins” is a passionate affair, accentuated by lead crooner Taylor Rice’s winding, emotive vocals. The song transitions from a classic singer/songwriter feel to a more heavily electronic version of the group’s signature full-band indie rock sound that has propelled them to success in the past. “Coins” is an instrumentally rudimentary track, focusing primarily on Rice’s vocals, both melodically and complexity-wise.

In this song, Rice’s bandmates are the wind at his back, pushing his vocal performance to greater heights, highlighting the emotional high and low points, of which there are many, throughout. Rice sings of the difficulties of connecting emotionally with someone that lives in a drastically different time zone and living completely separate lives at different times of day, expressing that he feels like him and his long distance partner don’t just have separate lives, but live in different worlds and thus are not able to truly be with each other. Veering slightly off the more rock-heavy path they’ve trail-blazed to get to this point, Local Natives have found sure footing in a more electronic, orchestral arrangement with “Coins.”