Native Other

At house parties, sometimes the natural impulse is to hang back with friends and keep the bubble nice and secure. "Palms," the new music video from Toronto's Native Other, lingers on the moment one person decides to pursue a new experience with another. The band's hybrid indie rock, which yearns and snaps, is what you might hear in your head as sparks begin to fly.
"I met a girl at a house party in the suburbs and she drew me in with her beauty and her mind," the band's Curtis Skeete told The FADER over email. "We had fire conversation and stayed close for a couple months afterward, so naturally, I wrote a song about her. I recorded the classic iPhone voice memo demo, showed the squad, and then got it popping pretty soon after. We found our sound on this one, so it will forever be important to us." - The FADER

Native Other is a four-piece dream pop band from Toronto. Or are they emo? Alt R&B maybe? Soft rock? The group's debut EP, If I Can Keep It Together, travels each of those territories navigating hidden bridgeways and intersections between each.

That's sort of how they found their name. There are no political connotations intended, says guitarist and singer Curtis Skeete. They wanted to use the word "native" to describe themselves as inhabitants of the band, as if it's where they were truly born. Then, thinking about their omnivorous style, Skeete thought about the outdated iTunes classification "Alternative/Other." Their broad and, at times, disparate influences — from mathy second-wave emo and retro-tone lite pop to chilly, Toronto sound hip-hop — find a home together within the bonds of the band.



Skeete shared more about the stories that evolved from If I Can Keep It Together:

There was no set mission with these songs, but the collection became a reflection of romantic encounters in 2015 that ended up forming their own story. 'Palms' and 'Afraid of the Dark' start the EP and each introduce a person of interest. 'Chlorine' discusses the hesitancy that can be involved in pursuing a relationship due to insecurity and self doubt. 'Lust + Loss' is the conclusion, where each relationship introduced earlier in the EP is reflected on and I (Curtis) explain that I'm now at a point where I'm confident and capable of finding what I seek and getting what I want in this life.

Each song creates its own space and maintains its own mood, which I think is best to be experienced first hand, without my input. Drink something, smoke something, sit alone in a dark room with your headphones on, go for a walk — whatever you need to do. Just listen wherever you feel comfortable and vibe out!
We'll get out of your way now. - Chart Attack

Although newer to the music scene, Native Other is already proving that they’re unmatched in the way of song composition. Their debut EP is out October 7th, and we’ve got the exclusive premiere of their fresh, vibe-inducing track “Palms” right here for you.


The song feels very surf rock from the beginning, although pretty quickly we see that it is so much more than that. It has an interesting and danceable melody, with lyrics rotating between a reachable pitch and an insane falsetto that even we can’t quite fathom. Although it reminds us early on of a certain Rihanna song with its lyrics “I found beauty in a foreign place,” the sound is completely its own – crisp, inviting – and makes us yearn for the creative ability to write a song so funky and intricate. Yes, this may be more of a summer song if you’re addressing it by season, but it will bring in the colors of fall quite nicely, if we do say so ourselves.

Here is what Native Other had to say about the song:

I wrote this song about a girl I met at a friend’s party and instantly felt a connection to. It was one of those nights we’ve all had, where it’s 4am and you’re two of the last people awake— talking about constellations and life in Ukraine. She had only been in Canada for two years, so there were some complications in fully understanding each other, but I was really into her and vice versa. The title ‘Palms’ came about from how she unexpectedly fell into my life and immediately became my primary inspiration. The remainder of the EP follows the trajectory from when I met her to where I’m currently at emotionally. It became an instant band favourite and the vibe felt perfect to end the summer with. Enjoy! - Impose Magazine

RIYL: Reverb soaked indie-pop like Grizzly Bear or Animal Collective

This chilled out, track from Oshawa indie-pop outfit, Native Other, tells the story of meeting a girl at a party and just completely clicking together. The track will be featured on Native Other’s forthcoming debut EP, due out on October 5th. - 102.1 The Edge

Off of their debut EP, “Palms” from Native Others weaves together breezy falsettos with reverb drenched guitars to capture the charm of a chance encounter and the spark that ignites an instantaneous connection. - A Journal of Musical Things

This track from Native Other just cries out to be played in the sun.

So it's in your best interest to bast it as we cling to that last little bit of summer.

The interplay between the throbbing bass line and the staccato guitar strumming really make this track. - CBC

カナダ/オシャワ出身のインディーロックバンド Native Otherが、10/7リリースのデビューEPから'Palms'を公開！

"I wrote this song about a girl I met at a friend's party and instantly felt a connection to. It was one of those nights we've all had, where it's 4am and you're two of the last people awake— talking about constellations and life in Ukraine. She had only been in Canada for two years, so there were some complications in fully understanding each other, but I was really into her and vice versa. The title 'Palms' came about from how she unexpectedly fell into my life and immediately became my primary inspiration. The remainder of the EP follows the trajectory from when I met her to where I'm currently at emotionally. It became an instant band favourite and the vibe felt perfect to end the summer with. Enjoy! - Niche Music

Canadiske Native Other gør sin debut på fornem vis, med et nummer, der myldrer af energi.

Den canadiske indiepop-kvartet Native Other står på dørtærsklen til for alvor at kunne gøre sin entré i musikverdenen. Både deres lyd og kreative proces er under indflydelse af bandmedlemmernes forskellige baggrunde, og lyden er eksperimenterende og legesyg.

Læs også Mads Riiskjær Jaurnow (Electric Elephants): "Vil du ikke både være Gandhi og Lenny Kravitz?"
Debutsinglen “Palms” ser ud til at fange og udlade præcis dén energi, som bandet står for. Nummeret minder om en blanding af Vampire Weekend og Toro y Moi, men bandet formår alligevel at præsentere en helt unik lyd, der er helt deres egen. Det er en myretue af percussion og guitarriffs, og sammen med den imponerende falset-vokal er nummeret både inderligt og udtryksfuldt, og skaber en vibe, der er oplagt at slutte sin sommer helt af med.


“Palms” er første og indtil videre eneste smagsprøve på Native Other, men vi skal heldigvis ikke vente længe på at høre mere fra canadierne, da de udgiver deres debut-EP den 7. oktober. - Bands of Tomorrow

Das músicas que chegam diariamente à redação do Monkeybuzz, poucas são tão cativantes quanto Palms, que a banda canadense Native Other soltou dia desses e mandou aqui para nosso hemisfério.

Ela é daquelas faixas que te deixam com vontade de continuar ouvindo logo, poucos segundos após o play. A melhor parte é que ela guarda as mais diversas surpresinhas ao longo de sua extensão, o que cativa o ouvinte de vez, principalmente se você curte o Indie animado e emocional que bandas como Local Natives fazem.


Você pode se encher de orgulho hipster e dizer que conheceu o grupo antes dos outros (até porque, com 414 likes no Facebook, há grandes chances de você ser o primeiro dos seus amigos a acompanhar o quarteto).

Daqui algumas semanas, em 7 de outubro, virá o EP If I Can Keep It Together, o que deve garantir a exposição que Native Other merece - ou assim esperamos! Até lá, o repeat garante que aproveitemos bem essas duas músicas. - Monkey Buzz