There is no greater joy than seeing your favorite band perform a great show. To make it even better, being super close to the stage is a bonus. On June 15, I got the opportunity to see my favorite band, The Neighbourhood, live for the second time. I can easily say that this was by far the best show that I have ever been to.
Formed in Newbury Park, California, in 2011, the band is made up of lead singer Jesse Rutherford, guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, bassist Michael Margott, and current drummer Brandon Fried (former drummer Bryan Sammis). They are considered an indie rock band with some hip hop influences.
After releasing three singles, they released their first album "I Love You." Following that, they released a mixtape for free download in November 2014. Most recently, their album "Wiped Out!" was released in October 2015.
No matter where or when you see them, their shows are always fantastic. The band is very good at getting the crowd into their performance. The order of their set list always flows so perfectly.
The way that the band presents itself is one of the reasons that they are my favorite. They are very strict about having everything be in black and white. They do this so that their band focuses on their music and not who they are. It forces them to be in control and since the outside world is in color, it allows them not to conform.
Another thing is their logo, an upside down house. The band wanted something that people would remember, since a logo is important. The house came from the band name, naturally, and they wanted to make it aesthetically pleasing. There isn't a significant reason as to why it was upside, but they just thought it looked cool, as do I.
Lastly, all of their songs have meaning. A lot of their older songs were written by the boys, straight out of high school. The songs reflect a lot of their high school problems, mostly heartbreak. They are put together in a way that the meaning does not have to be overthought. More so now, they make you think a little more, but still have an easy to think about meaning. It is important to be able to genuinely understand and relate to songs.
The band is becoming more and more popular and rising up the charts. They have definitely come a long way since 2011, and I am excited to see my favorite band grow in 2016 and the future years to come.
Here is a Spotify playlist with all of my favorite songs by them, including Single, Daddy Issues, R.I.P 2 My Youth, $ting and a few more!
