The Neighbourhood Newest EP, HARD

The Neighbourhood, an alternative rock-band releases a new extended play two years after their last project.

The Neighbourhood’s dark, bass accentuated EP, HARD, came out on September 22, 2017.  The subversive collection of five songs, “Noise”, “Roll Call”, “Sadderdaze”, “You Get Me So High” and “24/7”, indicate a new phase of the band, moving towards a harder and more intense direction.

The Neighbourhood, composed of five members, Jesse Rutherford, Zach Abels, Mikey Margott, Brandon Fried and Jeremy Freedman, always stay true to their visual aesthetic, delivering on the black and white promise they made back in 2012 with the release of their first EP, I’m Sorry….

The cover art is a declaration of their signature aesthetic, but also hinting at a new chapter of the band. A black sign of the title, HARD, is plastered on a shadowy white wall, a shift from their usually clean, direct visuals. The lyrics in HARD depict a very dual persona, with “24/7” describing a young love that yearns to be with the other half, but gets caught up with time, in contrast with “You Get Me So High”, an explanation of heartbreak following a difficult separation between friends, to which Rutherford hopes to cure narcotically.

The Newbury Park, the California-based band has borrowed from the past and progressed towards the future. The heavy bass guitar of “Noise” alludes to The Neighbourhood’s 2014 mixtape, #000000 & #FFFFFF, producing a harder sound inspired by R&B, while “24/7” is an airy breath of a new direction.

The last track of the EP, ‘24/7” is particularly parallel to the song “Single” from the band’s last release, Wiped Out!, with its lyrics telling of a continuing relationship. In “Single”, Rutherford apologizes to the father of his girlfriend for hurting her emotionally, and asks, “…would you let your baby be my girl?…” and in the opening line of “24/7”, he declares, “daddy’s little girl started growing up”. The opening reverb of the guitar chords from Abels and Fried’s hard drum sequence is vaguely similar to the dramatic opening of “R.I.P. 2 My Youth”, also a song from Wiped Out!.

Through these references to their own discography, The Neighbourhood tells listeners of their signature lyrical themes, guitar chords, and their intent to stay close to the musical style that gained them recognition in the last five years.

While the band did uphold certain memorable factors of their sound, they explored the different production and mixed new vocals with the rest of the songs in HARD. “Roll Call” was a very avant-garde addition to the collection, with Rutherford mirroring his live performances by mixing echoing vocals in the middle and end of the track. The Neighbourhood also paid homage to Cage The Elephant, another similar band, with the acoustic chords of “Sadderdaze” being strikingly similar to the song “Cigarette Daydreams”. The Neighbourhood’s noir aesthetic is revamped in the track “You Get Me So High”, with faster beats and a haunting echo of regret over a betrayal of a close friend.

The band also touched on unconventional lyrical themes, with each track alluding to the emotional and mental growth of Rutherford and his band-mates, and their intention to keep creating and improving upon themselves with each new release.

Overall, HARD is a perfect soundtrack for fall: moody, atmospheric, and just dark enough to evoke raw feelings from deep within. The dark sensuality of each track drips with regret, loneliness, heartbreak, and the chase for a love that can’t be reached.

The dedication to keep evolving their sound and vibe is truly impressive, and their innovation shines through in each and every track. Visuals of leather-clad boys, hazy California summers and cruising up and down the Pacific Coast Highway is consistently present throughout The Neighbourhood’s discography, and this new EP is no exception.

Armed with an R&B-infused alt-rock sound, echoing vocals and original production, The Neighbourhood has amassed a cult following of fans who share their love of California imagery and soft, sensual lyricism.