Albums : The Neighbourhood : I Love You

Albums : The Neighbourhood : I Love You

Listen To The Neighbourhood : I Love You

Who is The Neighbourhood?
Genre-crossing outfit the Neighbourhood mix atmospheric indie rock, electronica, and hip-hop beats with melodic R&B-inflected vocals. Formed in Los Angeles in 2011, the band centers around lead singer Jesse Rutherford, guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, bassist Mikey Margott, and drummer Bryan Sammis. In 2012, the Neighbourhood released the EP I'm Sorry..., featuring such singles as "Sweater Weather" and "Female Robbery." In 2013, they delivered the two-song EP Thank You as a prelude to their debut album I Love You, which was released that same year.

I Love You Review
A cursory glance at the spelling of this band’s name might lead you to believe that it hails from England, but you’d be wrong. Based in Southern California, The Neighbourhood isn’t making the typical laid-back, beachy rock that you might expect, either. Instead, this fledgling band is crafting an entirely distinct and head-turning sound that sets it apart from the surge of struggling indie-rock bands currently cluttering the music scene.

The Neighbourhood initially received press attention for its debut single “Sweater Weather,” a melancholy mix of pleading lyrics, rap-inspired drum machine and snaking guitars that create a distinctly eerie yet inexplicably appealing atmosphere. This character pervades the entire debut album, too, shaping a wholly new sound that, frankly, I haven’t really heard before. Replicating the band’s sound might draw from the moodiness of Lana Del Rey (after subtracting the melodrama) and blending it with hip-hop beats and shoegaze melodies. Frontman Jesse Rutherford’s vocals fit the mood of the album perfectly—always a touch hazy, they are stripped down and straightforward, slipping easily into a scratchy whisper that augments the uncanny feeling the permeates songs like “How” and “Let It Go.”

The only fault I find with this album is a degree of monotony in the basic structural elements of each song: unhurried percussion accompanied with pulsing basslines and sparse flourishes of minor guitar melodies. However, there is almost always enough variation in each song to resist the deadening hand of boredom. For example, listen to the breathless pace on the verses of “Sweater Weather” or the dub-infused soul of “Female Robbery.”

However, despite the lack of tonal variety, The Neighbourhood has come out swinging with a dark and brooding record that has definite potential to establish the band firmly in the music scene and launch it to a successful career. The thematic focus on “I Love You” is promising for an emerging band; it’s clear the band knows the direction it’s heading in. Expect big things from The Neighbourhood.


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Sources : The Neighbourhood Photo | Listen To I Love You | The Neighbourhood Biography | I Love You Review

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