The Neighbourhood, the poster children for alternative bands everywhere, have not stopped since the 2012 release of their first album. And, at the wrecking-ball-pace that they are going, it is highly doubtful that they will ever stop.
The long-awaited alternative band has finally released their newest album. It has been two years since the band has dropped an official album, however, since then, The Neighbourhood released a mixtape, "#000000 & #fffffff." In this mixtape, the band was able to experiment with different sounds, edges in styles, and emotions. This mixtape was sent from God and, overall, has really helped the way that The Neighbourhood has produced this new album.
The moody, black and white band starts the record off with a moment of silence. No, I am actually being serious. Thirty seconds of pure silence (if you're listening from your computer/phone/MP3). The silence is only to prepare you for the calm before the storm.
The next track, "Prey" was pre-released before the actual album released on Oct. 30, 2015. However, the haunting lyrics and upbeat tempo is what encouraged me to pre-order the entire album.
Working with "#0000000 & #ffffff," The Neighbourhood added a slightly more pop sound to their tracks such as "Prey," "Wiped Out," and "Single." However, what makes this band impeccable is the fact that they can still establish this vision of a black and white scenery through the use of their music. A platinum record might sell one million albums, but a good record sells a vision to an audience. The Neighbourhood is doing both. I see this album doing very well in both the underground music industry and mainstream as well, considering the last track on the album.
In "R.I.P. 2 MY YOUTH," the band is really building their brand off of this song. Including amazingly trendy wardrobe, lunch boxes, and other knick-knacks representing the final track of "Wiped Out." "R.I.P. 2 My Youth" was another pre-release in August 2015. The music video shortly followed. I do not want to spoil the greatness for any reader, so I shall keep this short. While I was slightly disappointed about the music video (I refreshed Twitter about 700 times that day), I was still impressed. I really enjoyed being able to actually see Jesse Rutherford in a video. He's such an emotional performer and really feels his lyrics on another level. And, then, who doesn't love looking at Jesse Rutherford? He's beautiful.
Any college kid in his/her 20-something's will relate to this song of dissipating youth, and the video has a slight chance of making you cry.
What you will find out, especially if you are an avid fan of The Neighbourhood, is that every song on the track, including "Moment of Silence" has a purpose for being on the album and a purpose in where it is placed, including every sound effect, every bit of heavy breathing, and each detail. With every NBHD album, a story is being told and in "Wiped Out," the story is very clear. My suggestion? Purchase on iTunes for an interruption-free listening stream. Spotify commercials just will not soothe the soul like a smooth stream of the ghostly, melodic tunes of The Neighbourhood.
