Take one part brooding electro pop, a dash of self-absorbed emo, a couple tokes of hip-hop, mix with a cache of catchy tunes, and you’ve got a recipe for The Neighbourhood’s squeal-inducing sound. The front row at their recent Raleigh, NC tour stop was teeming with fawning teens and 20-somethings who crowded down front to get as close as possible to singer Jesse Rutherford. While the band isn’t a Disney-type outfit, there’s definitely some careful grooming and assemblage going on. There’s even gimmickry: their fascination with black and white everything, from the stage to their clothing to the merchandise and even the photos taken by media members.
It’s not hard to figure out what they’re doing. If fame isn’t their number one motivation, it’s got to be one of the top three. What is hard to figure out about The Neighbourhood, however, is the impact they can make on the music world, because they’re actually pretty good. There’s a brain behind the hormonal lyrics and scientifically formulated blend of moneymaking musical styles. Their image is bolstered by artistic potential. The songwriting is strong and the musicians are very polished, if a bit stoic on stage. Their star has risen quickly, and it seems their youth-friendly sound has also ensnared a few older music fans as well. In Raleigh, about 1000 fans gathered in the humid, still air of dusk to witness the band’s pulsating sound . Kids watched the stage intensely, often jumping in time with the music or erupting into dance, while a smattering of older folks nodded and swayed along.
Rutherford rules the stage in a confident but not overbearing manner, his heavily tattooed arms reaching out to the crowd, up to the sky, and swinging around amid blazes of white light. Staple songs like “Female Robbery”, their biggest hit “Sweater Weather”, “How”, and the profanely paranoid “Afraid” garnered jubilant reactions, but the most fevered shrieks were reserved for the medley of new songs that popped up mid-set. For a band barely in their 20’s, there couldn’t be a more encouraging sign than that sort of recognition for new material. By 9:45, the band was done, having played just over a dozen songs and making new memories for the kids, and even a few adults. It will be interesting to see just how much better The Neighbourhood can get as they hone their stage show and ready for another album.
