Band: Native
Album: We Delete; Erase
Genre: Indie/Rock

Tracks:
1. Alpacastan
2. Flashdance
3. What Are You Dylan In My House
4. Ride The Tide
5. Something About Swordsmanship
6. Hey Mon, Hook Me Up ‘Do

I think anyone would be hard pressed to find a better music scene than that of the midwest. We’ve already covered La Dispute, but now we here at UTG bring you a band they mentioned, Indiana’s Native. This foursome mix dance worthy bass lines with spastic guitar work and lyrics that seep into your bloodstream and become engrained in your subconscious. The band just released the We Delete; Erase EP which brings together tracks from the bands two previous releases as well as a few new tracks. It’s a riotous disc full of power, passion, and most importantly, creativity.

“Apacastan,” the opening track, comes in slow and builds with a thick bass line that hooks you instantly. The drums enter and lead into some catchy, albeit spastic guitar work that just make you focus solely on the sounds coming through and this is never more true than when the vocals come in. The song speaks like an indie classic in the making and will surely fill in the holes left in music fans hearts from the break up of Moros Eros. It’s a great opener and makes you pine for the follow ups. The immediate follower is, “Flashdance”, a short yet sweet instrumental number that creates the kind of sonic atmosphere you wish every album had. The track also helps to introduce you to the third tune, titled, “What Are You Dylan At My House.” “Dylan,” is a solid rocker with amazing instrumentation. The band really works well with accents and and creating a real wall of sound for the listener to engage. Just when you think you’ve got the theme of the song dow, styles and rhythms take a 180 and go in the entire opposite direction. One thing’s for sure, being only halfway through the record, we can feel safe to assume Native has quite a bit to share with us.

The back half of the EP begins with, “Ride The Tide,” which could serve as the most radio friendly type song the band offers. From the subtle introduction to the brilliant verses, it’s the most engaging track the band has to offer. There’s repetitious theme on the ep of, “If third times a charm, why not the 4th,” as it appears on multiple times throughout the 25min. the album runs. Following the tide is, “Something About Swordsmanship,” which opens with beautiful guitar work before leading into a disconnected verse that is a bit less than inspiring, but original none the less. Native really enjoys the use of false starts and stops and this helps to increase what becomes their “signature” sound. The Ep finally comes to a close with, “Hey Mon, Hook Me Up ‘Do,” which begins simply before building into a frenzied series of cymbal work and crazed guitars. The vocals fall a little below the sound of everything else, but with thick bas grooves, you don’t notice this tiny infraction, at least the first couple of spins. It’s great to find a band that let’s the music speak for itself and then adds lyrics instead of just backing up bad music with catchy hooks. This track proves Native has something special and makes you anxious to see where they will go next.

Overall, Native is a band finding their footing in the industry. Their mixture of indie songwriting with crunchy guitars isn’t a fast seller on the mainstream, but bands like this have the ability to survive for decades. Native has laid the groundwork for a career that people will not only notice, but remember for a long time to come. We Delete;Erase is the EP this band has needed to launch themselves into the next circle of the music world. Keep your eyes and ears open because these boy are going places and they’re going there soon.

**Written By James Shotwell**
GRADE: 8.5/10

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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