In the simpler time of March 2019, Localles spent a weekend recording with highly sought after producer Greg Rietwyk (Press Club, Neighbourhood Youth, The Pretty Littles) to craft their third EP. However, between now and then there has been a bit happening for the Localles fellas; not to mention a global pandemic, more personally was the Thyroid cancer diagnosis of guitarist and lead singer Ted O’Neil three weeks after the recording of the EP, with the dooming possibility that Ted could lose his voice coming as serious curve ball for the band. As well as the exciting arrival of Ted’s first child in June that year, plans were postponed for a significant portion of 2019, before the rest of the music industry came to a halt the following year. Fortunately, Localles have managed to drip out two songs from the EP, in the form of ‘Pure Negativity’ and ‘Half A Heart’, and today we’re thrilled to share a first listen to ‘So Wasted’, the latest taste of Standing On Thin Air .

‘So Wasted’ is a raucous blast of garage-rock that’s fuelled by angst and raw energy, yet still feels considered in its construction. This angst comes from the most pure of places, as the first song written by bassist Paul Doery while navigation relationships as a teenager. According to the band the song started life “in his teenage years as a cheesy, half-written acoustic love song”, and although the track has clearly shifted into the earworm we’re introduced to today, it’s clear that most of this original passion remains intact.

Opening with a thumping groove that refuses to let up, we’re quickly immersed in the track as a scruffy vocal emerges, and we’re instantly struck by the youthful angst that anchors the track. As the initial refrain of “she is so wasted on him” rubs up against the next refrain of “feelings change, feelings fade but sometimes things remain the same”, there’s a feeling of confusion that contrasts the relentless and assertive instrumentation, giving us the sense of shifting perspectives over the years that makes it feel as though the dust has settled a little. The song closes with the instrumentation fading out as the drone of that refrain overpowers everything, until the only sentiment we’re left with is that of the older person reflecting on what has taken place.

With ‘So Wasted’ coming as the third single from upcoming EP Standing On Thin Air, and already having been treated to ‘Pure Negativity’ and ‘Half A Heart’, it will be interesting to see how these three standalone singles form a part of the bigger picture of the EP. Yet, with all the band has been through in the last few years, we can only imagine the catharsis that will come when the EP is finally released which makes the prospect all the more exciting.