New kids on the block, Gold Coast’s own Local Safari have exploded onto the music scene with flying colours and today the quintet are taking us on a guided tour of their vibrant new single ‘Daffodil’.
Bursting into bloom with this springtime hit, Local Safari deliver warm melodies in ‘Daffodil’, highlighting their quintessential meld of intricate drum lines, slapping bass grooves and crunchy rhythm guitar.
Following their debut single ‘My Friend’, this new track sees Local Safari really come into their sound, sprinkling some spicy indie-pop amongst their garage-rock roots as they dabble with synth textures.
Initially written by lead-singer Leah and rhythm guitarist Josh one a warm spring afternoon, ‘Daffodil’s’ bright and airy melody juxtaposes the more weighty message that Leah’s full-bodied vocals convey, speaking of two-faced friends whose colourful exterior can give way to something darker underneath.
“Daffodil originated from a single melody line and an acoustic guitar on a warm afternoon. The song revolves around the idea of dealing with two-faced people, friends in particular. These people, much like a daffodil, look and feel nice to be around at first but the more you get to know them you realise that their intentions or ‘roots’ underneath are damp and dark. As it progresses it also intertwines positivity and self-worth."
With stacks of unfinished choruses and verses piling up, 'Daffodil' was the first full song that the pair finished after the line “daffodil daydream, so nice but you’re really mean” came to Leah in the shower. This infectious melody quickly becomes part of your day and it won't be long until you find yourself singing about two-faced daffodil's in the shower as well.
"One day Leah just sung me this melody she had, so I matched the notes she was singing on the guitar and worked out which chords go with those notes. I think it was like right then that we wrote it, in like two hours we wrote this song and it was a real lightning moment - ‘oh, we can write a song like this, what else can we do?’" Josh said of the track. "We played it for some people in our lounge room and they could not get it out of their head!"
In classic Gold Coast style, Local Safari was born one sunny afternoon over a few beers and a jam sesh. It didn’t take long for the group to realise that they wanted to continue making music together and thus Australia was blessed with a fresh new indie-rock band at the start of this year.
Just over six-months on and with a few changes to the line-up, Local Safari are now settled with a very talented quintet comprising of lead-singer Leah, Josh on rhythm guitar and back-up vocals, Kale as the lead guitarist, Marco playing bass and Brad on the drums.
With musical influences including Spacey Jane, Ball Park Music and The Jungle Giants, to name a few, Local Safari are also very passionate about lesser-known local bands that are also brimming with talent. So, they have made a reputation for themselves as line-up connoisseurs, creating local gigs that support local talent.
"Our first ever gig was during that tiny window in the middle of the year when you could have a hundred person house parties. So we jumped onto that and hosted a party here, in my backyard, with Peach Fur, Pure Milk, Acer Spade, Girl and Girl - some really really amazing Gold Coast artists that wanted to play because they hadn’t had any gigs in ages. The gig was free, they all played for free, it was live-streamed, people came and it was so much fun. That was our first ever gig and it was in my backyard," said Leah.
Following that wholesome live music debut, Local Safari were on the prowl, playing five gigs in five weeks and continuing to collect fans with their "fun-as" music that makes people want to move and groove.
Next on the agenda, the group are hosting another live music event at Burleigh's BBQ Bazaar. Having created the line-up themselves, the event is a triple single release featuring Wharves, themselves, Chutney and Brixton Alley. New local music, sunset drinks and food trucks... sign us up!
“That is a pretty proud moment for us. We’re just so excited, it’s going to be the best day!"
When asked whether they were nervous about their single premiere today, Leah, who had previously only sung in front of Josh before the band formed, mentioned a few nerves.
"I’m a little bit nervous. I think because this is all so new for me. To me, putting yourself out there is a huge vulnerability so there's always a part of me that doesn't know how it's going to go, but I'm also so excited."
Josh without hesitation added:
"Nah I'm so keen."
As are we.
See Local Safari Live
Saturday 21st November
Daffodil Daydream Single Launch
BBQ Bazaar Burleigh
Tickets here