The Native - Looking Back EP 
Release Date: 19th August 2022
Plymouth outfit the Native are on a lot of 'ones to watch' lists at the moment so it is timely that they're about to release a six track EP summing up the story so far. Fittingly title 'Looking Back', this EP pulls together a few singles and other tracks to draw a line under this period which will be their 'local heroes to national prospects' phase but there is so much more to come. Opening with 'Blindside', the EP gets off to a rousing indie-rock start with the kind of vibes that fit between early Stereophonics and Bastille before sliding straight in to the emotive title track, 'Looking Back', full of pulsating bass, driving drums and the kind of vocals that will put a lump in your throat and the hairs up on the back of your neck.
'Changes' is an absolute anthem in the making with the commercial appeal of Ed Sheeran but the kind of full sound that did so well for Catfish and the Bottlemen. The indie-ballad of 'All Or Nothing' is the kind of song that you could soundtrack up breakup with while '20 Something', my favourite track on the EP, has urgency, melodies, energy and a sense of emotional honesty that you don't much of these days. The EP closes out on 'If Not Now When', an acoustic strum which stays just the right side of Wonderwall thanks to some soaring vocals and excellent songwriting. It says an awful lot about the talent of the Native that I'm already considering this to be one of the top EPs of 2022 but it says even more that I can't imagine many artists challenging 'Looking Back' for that title.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/wearethenativeofficial