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the eighbourhoodBY DARGAN THOMPSON AS THEY ADAPT Back in 2013, right as they were starting to blow up, The Neighbourhood turned down an appearance on The Tonight Show. TO BEING A This would be a strange move for any band, but the reason seemed even stranger: The Tonight Show only filmed in color. And from the beginning, The Neighbourhood N BUZZWORTHY branded themselves in black and white—only. They’ve fiercely adhered to their monochromatic aesthetic in music videos and BA N D, T H E photos. At their Coachella debut, they asked to only be photographed in black and white. After the guys initially turned down The Late Show, too, the show agreed to NEIGHBOURHOOD make an exception and film their performance in black and white. The Tonight Show M E M BE R S A R E never did. But there are things the band values more than fame. In addition to being in control of their own image, the black-and-white vibe rep- FINDING THINGS resents The Neighbourhood’s desire to make straightforward and honest music. On their latest album, Wiped Out!, the band is more honest than ever. But not everything AREN’T SO BLACK is as clearly defined as their image. Musically, they fall into the gray area between genres, moving from brooding guitars on one track to a synth breakdown in the next. A N D W H I T E Lyrically, they’re wrestling with issues that are far from black and white. Fittingly enough, the members of The “Everyone was in Neighbourhood grew up in the same com- close quarters for munity. They started playing together as many months, so part of the music scene in Newbury Park, that vibe definitely California, during their high school years, carried over,” Fried and by 2011, they had officially formed explains. “Then we the band (adopting the British spelling of did the second half of “neighborhood,” since another band had the record at Zach’s already claimed the American spelling). parents’ house. That Lead singer Jesse Rutherford had a brief brought it back to the rap career before he joined the band. The roots and what the other members grew up on classic rock. band was back in the Together, they blurred genre boundar- day when the guys ies, mixing elements of hip-hop, R&B and were writing songs electronica into their pop-rock sound. in high school. That “With the Internet and how much peo- made everyone go ple put out music, we just tried to really back to the basics.” sound different,” says guitarist Zach Like the band’s Abels. “It just kind of came out how it did.” debut, Wiped Out! Everything took off quickly from there. was an instant hit, After a handful of EPs caught the atten- reaching No. 1 on tion of critics and tastemakers, the band’s Billboard’s U.S. alternative chart and No. higher power, so the idea of God has debut full-length, I Love You., exploded 2 on the rock chart. Lyrically, the album always influenced me to a degree,” he says. on the scene in 2013. Soon, the single shows how much the band has maturednhb “I talk to God from time to time, but notd “Sweater Weather” became an inescap- since their debut. The first song, a 30-sec- from a religious mindset. Maybe I’m just able radio fixture, selling more than 1 ond silent track aptly titled “A Moment of talking to myself, but it makes me feel a million copies. Silence,” sets a somber tone for an album little more clear-headed occasionally.” But along with fame came growing that explores the hard parts of growing up, The Neighbourhood has come a long ADVERTISEMENT pains. Drummer Bryan Sammis left the dealing with fame and struggling with loss. way from their high school garage band Even the beginnings, but two albums in, the guys most upbeat, are nowhere near ready to call it quits. “THE IDEA OF GOD HAS ALWAYS pop-infused “We’re fortunate to have accomplished INFLUENCED ME TO A DEGREE. I TALK TO track on the what we have thus far, but I’m still not sat- album, “Cry isfied,” Rutherford says. “It feels like we GOD FROM TIME TO TIME. MAYBE I’M JUST Baby,” comes have had one bite of a very large cake. One at love from an bite clearly won’t do.” TALKING TO MYSELF, BUT IT MAKES ME angle of self- But while they have experienced com- aware insecu- mercial fame, the band doesn’t define suc- FEEL A LITTLE MORE CLEAR-HEADED.” rity: “I think I cess by radio play or album sales. try too hard,” “Success to us is knowing that we did band in the summer of 2014 and was Rutherford sings. “How I look, what I do, better than we did before,” Fried says. replaced by Brandon Fried. Fried quickly what I’m saying. I spend too much time “Keep moving forward and evolving and integrated into the band, and he brought explaining myself. I hope there’s time to experimenting more and writing better a fresh sound to Wiped Out!, which they change it.” songs. If we keep doing that, we’re always wrote mostly while touring for I Love You. On other songs, Rutherford reflects on going to look back at each record and say, To hear Fried tell it, creating the album the death of his father. He uses music as a ‘Yeah, I think that’s success.’” was a fun, collaborative project. sort of public therapy by way of confession. This kind of success isn’t always cut “From a creative standpoint, it was “All I know how to do is express myself,” and dry, but it makes sense for The everyone kind of collectively working on he says. “I’m very emotional. It’s a gift Neighbourhood. This is the band that songs together,” he says. “The whole work and a curse, but I think it’s meant to be if turned down The Tonight Show because ethic of the band kind of evolved.” expressing my emotions gets to be my job.” they value their brand more than airtime. This collective energy carried over into Rutherford and bassist Mikey Margott Despite what their look might tell you, the the recording process. The band recorded grew up in the Church, and though members of The Neighbourhood know the first half of the album at a house Rutherford has since walked away from things aren’t always black and white. in Malibu where all the band members organized religion, his upbringing still were living along with their producer influences his music. DARGAN THOMPSON is RELEVANT’s associate and engineers. “My mom raised me to believe in a editor. Find her on Twitter at @darganthompson. 68 MAY_JUN 2016 RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM 69 .

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