The Neighbourhood
Coming out of nearly thin air, The Neighbourhood snuck their way into the top 10 charts this past year. Though they happen to have a very small following, they are a great and enjoyable band. Their song "Sweater Weather" being their most popular hit, gives you a little hint of everything this band is about; with small tastes of their pop flavor, the great vocals, and the instrumentals brought out by them. The band is comprised of a vocalist, two guitarists, and a bassist. The band used to also have a drummer, who was present during the release of their album "I Love You," but left the band in early January in an attempt to pursue a solo career in music.
With a unique, alternative rock and dark pop sound to them, The Neighbourhood has been gaining extreme popularity since the explosion of their song "Sweater Weather." The Neighbourhood has a knack for bringing a fond meaning to every song they produce. My attention was caught by the song "Afraid." This song was released as a part of their full album, and was a song that exemplifies the meanings found in their songs, as well as great instrumentals and vocals to cope. Found in the second verse of the song, "Keep on dreaming, don't stop giving, fight those demons, sell your soul, not your whole self," it can be easily drawn that this song is about individuality. The lyrics are simply saying that it is okay to sell your soul to get to where you want to be, just don't let that thing you sell yourself to consume you, or forget who you are. As the lead singer Jesse says, "You're too mean, I don't like you, fuck you anyway." Never let anyone tell you who you are, or who you will be; as you shape your own future, not them.
Though the band presents extremely well thought out lyrics with great meanings attached, their accompaniments can use some work. An ambient and unique sound is found within nearly everyone of their songs brings extreme attention to the lyrics of the singer, the words sung are not always audible. This does appear to be a problem with the mastering and recording of their songs, as their live performances are significantly better balanced. Another thing that tends to bug me about their instruments is the over-use of harmonics, though these do draw great attention to their vocalist, they can get tired very fast. With easily half of every song being drenched in harmonics it can get extremely tiresome to listen to, albeit enjoyable the first few go-arounds it loses replay value.
Live performances always tend to make a band for me, as I feel most people are the same. Luckily this band, unlike most popular bands these days, happens to have a great sound while live. Their unique, pleasant, and ambient sound is held up while performing live, and this is a trait that is extremely rare. The only complaint found about their live performances is their lack of movement. If a band was to represent their emotions or state of mind, this band would be dead. Though their music tends to be slower, they could sway or lean with the music, this band lacks that ability, and it becomes extremely boring to watch, however good the music is.
With a top 10 hit on the charts now and a solid album released early last year, hopefully this band will find a new drummer and continue to release wonderful, meaningful music. Their album "I Love You" is definitely worth checking out if you get a few minutes, (A link to a collection of their music is a clickable link right here).
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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