The Neighbourhood’s arrival onto the Los Angeles music scene in 2011 was marked with teenage angst supported by a motley mixture of synths and a little too much echoey reverb. The group’s first EPs, particularly “I’m Sorry…,” were reminiscent of the conflicted, hormone-driven era of the late 2000s.

Fast-forwarding to 2015, The Neighbourhood has improved at changing up its downtrodden attitude in its most recent album, “Wiped Out!” The band’s sound is still angsty, but the angst is now backed by a measure of sophistication.

“Wiped Out!” is an album that keeps fans on their toes. The opener, “A Moment of Silence,” is literally 30 seconds of silence that probably cause listeners everywhere to check if their headphones are plugged in.

The concept of a completely silent opener sounds slightly pretentious and gloomy, but that sort of material fits perfectly with The Neighbourhood’s image of anguished sensitivity.

The trademark beach goth vibes begin straight after “A Moment of Silence.” While the band tried before to force a “California chill” attitude with debut album “I Love You.,” the songs in “Wiped Out!” give more variety while still wholeheartedly embracing the black-and-white emotional aesthetic.

Certain tracks stand out because of their effective genre-bending. “Prey” is a fuzzy alt-rock-slash-R&B song in which frontman Jesse Rutherford croons mournfully about a lover slipping away from him. “Wiped Out!,” a track that transforms into hazy R&B, is the perfect song to play during a warm evening at the beach.

The album’s strength is the downtempo anguish pleasantly tempered by upbeat tracks. The uptempo dance vibes of “Greetings from Califournia,” “Daddy Issues” and “Cry Baby,” in particular, rescue the album from being the sing-along version of a 15-year-old boy’s secret diary.

The Neighbourhood’s change in sound is a sign of its maturation and newfound sophistication. In its previous work, downtempo tracks worked best in translating the angst. Now, Rutherford and friends have discovered upbeat songs can convey the same emotion.

The arrangements in “Wiped Out!” play to the group’s strengths. Most of the songs feature swelling instrumentals that remind listeners of the beach – in case they forgot the group is from sunny California. The arrangements are more polished, yet they still add a nostalgic quality, most likely born from the late ’00s mood, to the album that ebbs and flows with Rutherford’s yearning voice.

The only issue is the slightly cringeworthy lyrics. Lyricism has never been the band’s strong suit – think “One love, two mouths / One love, one house / No shirt , no blouse” in “Sweater Weather” – and it’s the one front on which the group hasn’t improved enough.

Even though the songs grapple with heavy-handed topics like heartbreak and death, their lyrics don’t do them justice. Lines like “The sun’s coming out but I’m feeling colder / I can’t wait till the drought is over” from “Cry Baby” smack of seemingly inspirational Tumblr quotes. When the lyrics to “Daddy Issues” – “I’d run away and hide with you / I love that you got daddy issues / And I do too” – are separated from the melody, they just sound strange.

If each song were evaluated with a list containing items like flat lyrics, swooping instrumentals and a chill beach bum attitude, every item would have a check mark next to it.

But at the end of the day, what counts is that the band has figured out how to explore new sounds while maintaining the aesthetic fans know and love it for. If that’s not enough to save The Neighbourhood from the backhanded compliment of “one-hit wonder,” I don’t know what is.

– Shreya Aiyar

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3 Comments

  1. do not “beach goth” the neighborhood.

    this daily bruin reporter had the audacity to say that the Neighborhood was “beach goth” aesthetic. THAT IS NOT BEACH GOTH, THAT IS POP ALT. GET IT TOGETHER DB.

  2. This is ridiculous. “The only issue is the slightly cringeworthy lyrics”. Their lyrics are simple because it’s supposed to be interpreted as we wish. It’s so simple that it’s confusing, it could mean so much. Use your imagination, your personal experience. Their lyrics express emotional pain that can be felt by most teen nowadays. It’s relatable. You also need to stop trying to fit them in a specific music genre. That’s the point of The Neighbourhood, they’re so unique that they have created their own kind of new sound. ” (…) rescue the album from being the sing-along version of a 15-year-old boy’s secret diary.” What kind of description is this? Since when is the vocabulary of death and suicide a thing for a common 15 year old boy? Are you a journalist or also a teenage girl getting mad at an over-emotional boy? And finally, for the “daddy issues” lyrics part, I believe that The Neighbourhood’s intention was to play with the word “daddy” meaning father AND boyfriend ( in case you’re too old not to know, it’s now a “thing” for a girl to call her boyfriend “daddy”). You seem like you only analyze their rhythmical situation when there is so much more. This group has incredible potential, and you’re too basic to even begin to understand that. Use your creativity for god sake, you’re a journalist!!

  3. In the song “Daddy Issues” Jesse tries to express his feelings of death and mourning. Most of the album was inspired by the death of his FATHER. The lyrics are supposed to be touching, and heartfelt. In “daddy issues” Jesse sings “I didn’t cry when you left at first, but now that your dead it hurts. This time I gotta know, where did my daddy go? I’m not entirely here, half of me has disappeared.” If that’s not about his fathers death, I don’t know what is. In “Wiped out” Jesse stated how he is frightened by the fact of his dad passing away, and how he is shocked and confused. He says “How can you feel the way that I’m feeling if your not inside of my head?” and “I got some mixed emotions about how I need to handle the stress”. Clearly, these lyrics are not “cringe-worthy” but relatable instead.

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