The Neighbourhood Album Review: I Love You.

Genre: alternative rock / pop rock / alternative R&B / indie rock / alternative hip hop

I am absolutely 100% in love with The Neighbourhood.

I think all of their albums are golden, but today I'm going to focus on I Love You.. (I put two periods there because the album title has a period but it was also the end of my sentence, so I'm not sure if two periods are necessary or not but it's really bothering me now.)

Anyway, if you're unfamiliar with The Neighbourhood, you're really missing out. The band is from California and has strong Cali vibes in their music which can be classified as alternative rock / pop rock / alternative R&B / indie rock / alternative hip hop. (What? Yeah, I said "alternative hip hop" and I meant it - The NBHD singer Jesse Rutherford incorporates hip hop / rap into a few of their songs and it's heavenly.)

Most people who know how to work a car radio have probably heard their most popular song, "Sweater Weather". The song was released in 2012 and still dominates numerous pop, rock, and indie radio stations today.

The band is popular among teenagers and young adults in the whole indie / high waisted shorts and sweaters / "hipster" scene. I can imagine their songs being played on shows like The Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars.

In fact, I think I remember "Sweater Weather" playing on The Vampire Diaries once, but I could be daydreaming.

So let's discuss the songs on this masterpiece:

1. "How"

One thing I admire very much about The Neighbourhood is that the majority of their songs have lyrics that leave me thinking. They have lyrics that give me chills.

The music itself apart from the lyrics puts me in a trance and makes me want to close my eyes and daydream.

"How" is no exception to anything I just said.

"How could you tell me that I'm great / When they chewed me up, spit me out, pissed on me? / Why would you tell me that it's fate / When they laughed at me, everyday, in my face?"

Those words could apply to a lot of scenarios in someone's life, but as someone who's always been an "outcast" and a "loner", I can apply those lyrics to many, many instances.

I don't know how to explain how much the music itself intensifies the lyrics to this song. I don't know what the words are to describe the sounds of the instruments, I just know the sound is powerful and it takes my mind to another universe.

2. "Afraid"

This song used to make me sad, but it's so intriguing I can't keep from listening to it.

"When I wake up I'm afraid / Somebody else might take my place"

I'm sure you can imagine how lyrics like that might get somebody in their feelings.

Maybe that's another reason I like The Neighbourhood so much; maybe I like that I can apply their lyrics to different parts of my life, and even the lyrics that don't apply to me directly I can still feel because the artist is making me feel them.

Something else in this song that appeals to me personally is near the end when Jesse sings, "If you leave me then I'll be afraid of everything / That makes me anxious / Gives me patience / Calms me down"

The reason I appreciate those words so much is because it touches a deep part of my soul as I've struggled with a fear of abandonment and attachment issues with people in the past I knew were not worthy of my time.

I appreciate things that have meaning, and despite this being a "sad" song, it's powerful. It's perfect to me.

3. "Everybody's Watching Me (Uh Oh)"

I don't have a lot to quote here pertaining to lyrics. The song is fantastic, the music is powerful, and the repetitiveness of the chorus is addicting.

It's a great song - it's another one where the background music makes me want to close my eyes and dream.

4. "Sweater Weather"

You've probably heard this song even if you're unfamiliar with The Neighbourhood; it's their most famous song and if you listen to it you'll understand why. Here's a link to the music video if you're interested in listening to it.

If you watch the video, the band is riding around in a convertible; there's palm trees and a beach around them. That's exactly the scene I picture when I imagine people listening to this song.

The chorus is catchy and the song in general feels calm, cool, and breezy. It's a song my husband and I have sang in unison on several occasions.

5. "Let It Go"

I love the funkiness of this song; the beat is different but it also has those Cali vibes I mentioned earlier and the two blend together perfectly.

I don't know how to explain it, but the lyrics flow differently than other songs you generally hear. It's almost like Jesse is rapping, but not quite. That's sort of where the "alternative hip hop" comes into play, although there are songs by the group that fits that theme better than "Let It Go".

I also love the bass in this song.

6. "Alleyways"

As is the case with every song by The Neighbourhood, the chorus catchy is and the song as a whole is lots of fun to sing along with.

I can still hear in my head, "And whenever the sun came out we played / We didn't want to get older / We didn't want to get older / I left myself in the alleyway"

It's repetitive, easy to remember, and the music, as usual, makes you want to get lost in your mind.

7. "W.D.Y.W.F.M?"

This is one of my favorites.

"W.D.Y.W.F.M?" stands for "What do you want from me?"

Part of the chorus reads, "Maybe you're right / Maybe this is all that I can be / But what if it's you / And it wasn't me?"

This song has arguably the catchiest chorus out of every song on the album. Maybe I'm saying that because it's one of my favorites - I don't know.

What I do know is that this song is sexy. I'm not sure if Jesse Rutherford is being himself or if he intended on this song being hot, but it just is, okay?!

It's not necessarily a sexual song, but if you want me to be honest I would definitely get freaky to it. I'm not sorry.

8. "Flawless"

"You're a doll / You are flawless / But I just can't wait for love to destroy us / I just can't wait for love"

It's kind of a twisted chorus, but a catchy one nonetheless.

I'm convinced The Neighbourhood could say just about anything and nobody would care because it sounds so beautiful. (I feel that way about The Weeknd, too, but I'll save that for another day.)

I don't want to repeat myself too many times, so I'll make it short and sweet: the music is enthralling, Jesse's voice is soothing, and it's a song I could listen to a thousand times in a row.

9. "Female Robbery"

"Female Robbery" is my favorite. It's a close call between this and "W.D.Y.W.F.M?", but "Female Robbery" takes the lead.

Despite "Sweater Weather's" fame, "Female Robbery" should be number one in my opinion.

I love the lyrics, I love the beat, I love Jesse, and I love everything there is to love about this song.

The flow of the lyrics feels so smooth - calm, cool, and collected - but unique and kind of rappy at the same time.

As was the case with "Let It Go", there are parts of this song that almost feel like they're being rapped instead of sung, but not quite. It's not rap by any means, but the lyrics are just spoken in a way that makes it feel hip hop-ish. Does that make sense or do I sound stupid?

If you're interested, listen to the chorus and you'll hear what I'm trying to say.

There's been a lot of speculation as to what "Female Robbery" is about.

Some people believe it's about a child who wishes to be kidnapped - or taken away from - their current home situation. When you listen to the song, it's not that far of a stretch. There are certainly parts that sound like it could mean something along those lines.

"I watched it all in my head, perfect sense / Don't take me from my bed / Leave everything that is worth a single cent and just take me instead / That TV show I saw as I fell asleep had me on both my knees / Praying to whatever is in Heaven please send me a felon / And don't tell the police anything"

If the song is truthfully about a child wanting to be taken from their situation, that's something I've daydreamed about more than once. Maybe that's why I love singing this son so much... I'm not sure.

I know that one song can have 10 different meanings for 10 different people and it can be incredibly meaningful no matter which meaning you believe in. Music doesn't have to mean anything specific - I think we can make the meaning of some songs adapt to fit our current situations.

"Female Robbery" is a powerful, addicting song no matter what you think it's about.

10. "Staying Up"

"Staying Up" is a pretty close tie with "W.D.Y.W.F.M?" for me.

This song is incredibly melodic and peaceful, yet sad... while feeling almost sensual in the way that some of the other songs feel.

I think it's the way Jesse sings in combination with the melody to the songs that makes some of them feel this way. You know the song is not sensual where lyrics are concerned, but it still feels deep, powerful, and moving in a way that almost feels personal.

The hook reads, "How can I sleep if I don't have dreams? / I just have nightmares / How can it be? / I still believe something is out there"

Then again, maybe the reason the music feels sensual to some of us is because we can relate to it and that makes it more personal. I'm just speculating at this point. Maybe I'm just making up excuses now for being some kind of freak.

11. "Float"

This is the last song on the album. The last few songs were slow to medium paced, but "Float" picks back up with a fast rhythm and smooth singing.

"Float" has another catchy hook that reads, "They show you how to swim / Then they throw you in the deep end / I've been learning since, but it doesn't mean I'll float"

As I mentioned with "Female Robbery", you can apply the lyrics to "Float" to many different situations.

For me, the words "They show you how to swim, then they throw you in the deep end" can be applied to high schools, parents, or employers...

I think of teenagers as a whole when I hear this song. Maybe some teenagers are prepared for their future by the time they graduate high school, but the small town I grew up in in Texas didn't do much to prepare any of us for real life before throwing us to the wolves.

My economics teacher couldn't even teach us how to do our taxes because he was too busy talking about which students were sleeping with each other. That's another story, though. :)

Overall

I Love You. is golden.

What's astonishing is I believe when this album came out the oldest band member was 21 and the youngest was still in high school.

I feel moved when I think that kids so young could create something so incredible. They write their own lyrics, too, so I find it entirely impressive that kids fresh out of high school could write a whole album that would touch so many people.

Whether the members are 25 or 55, this band is pure talent and I admire them very much.

I love the flow of the lyrics; I love Jesse's voice and the way it blends with the music. A lot of the songs on this album have quite a bit more bass than you'd expect from a group who doesn't produce rap music - and that's a big plus because I love bass.

As I mentioned above, the songs on this album make me want to put on headphones, lock the door, close my eyes, and see where my mind takes me.

It's the kind of music that gets me thinking - the kind of music that motivates me to write, to draw, to paint, or to make any kind of art.

I truly think The Neighbourhood could make any song feel peaceful. Here's a link to them playing "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child and "Cry Me A River" by Justin Timberlake. I don't know if I've ever heard something so perfect.

I genuinely hope you enjoyed this album reviews and I would love someone to request a review! I love music and will listen to an artist if I've never heard of someone you mention.