The band released their first EP, I'm Sorry... in January 2013, where their single Sweater Weather reached #1 in the U.S. Alternative Tracks and #8 on the U.S. Rock Tracks and #33 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also charted at #68 in Canada. Their first album, I Love You. was released on April 23, 2013.
In early 2012 a mysterious band appeared online. The group, The Neighbourhood, revealed no biographical information, no photos and no backstory, offering only a moody track titled "Female Robbery." Fans and the press were confounded, scouring the Internet for any information that might lead them to the identity of these musicians. Pieces of the puzzle, some reflecting reality and some not so much, began to emerge. The Neighbourhood were a quintet. They were from California despite the British spelling of their name. They had a second track, "Sweater Weather," which had an accompanying -- and equally dark -- video.
Although The Neighbourhood's identity remained hazy, it became clear that the music they were making felt transformative to critics and fans alike. The evocative combination of rock instruments with R&B and hip-hop aesthetics seemed, in many ways, revelatory, a reimagining of sounds that seemed to make people clamour for more information with even greater fervour. In April, BBC Radio One DJ Zane Lowe, an early champion of the group, let it slip that The Neighbourhood was the handiwork of musician Jesse Rutherford, a resident of Newbury Park, CA. By early May, as the band unveiled a free, self-released EP titled "I'm Sorry," it became understood that the identity of this young band was, ultimately, secondary to the music itself.
So who is The Neighbourhood? In essence, the group, which was formed in August 2011, is a collection of five friends who make music together. They're headed by Rutherford, a 21-year-old singer who has dabbled in various genres, including hip-hop, before crafting the merge of sounds that categorizes The Neighbourhood's style. Their debut EP was produced by Justyn Pilbrow, who brought Emile Haynie on board to collaborate on "Female Robbery." The EP, recorded at the end of last year, is composed of shadowy, emotional music with visuals to match. And it's all part of the band's master plan.
"I always have a strong vision before I go into anything," Rutherford says. "I don't know how to make music any other way. It was all in my head, and that vision for the music was to make hip-hop beats with guitars and I was going to sing and rap over them. We wanted to do that hip-hop aesthetic on an indie platform."
"I'm Sorry," a five-song disc, is a precursor to the band's debut album, which is also being produced by Pilbrow and Haynie. The album, expected out in March 2013, will expand the group's moody sensibility, which pairs brooding layers of instrumentals with Rutherford's hip-hop-inspired croon. The style, which the band has dubbed "black and white" due to its confident inspirations, is based largely on rhythm, as evidenced by the EP. "When I started in music I started doing drums and then I started doing vocals," Rutherford explains. "And then I combined the two together because to me rapping is just rhythmic vocals. I think the rhythm of hip-hop is really what got me into it. It's not just words being said; it's about how the words are said."
In the end, all you need to know about The Neighbourhood is in that music and in those words. There are more facts, more pieces of the puzzle, more information to unveil. But what's the fun in being given the full picture when you can slowly discover it for yourself? It's better to leave some mystery lingering. Because, after all, it's that unknowing that brought The Neighbourhood to people's attention to begin with.
Girls Like You
The Neighbourhood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Neighborhood girl, she
Used to hang out, in front of
McKinsey's Bar, and we were
Interested in her, and her
Clientele...
We just wonder where she's gone..."
"Oh she's gone?"
"I think you know your
Neighborhood girl, she
Lives on my street, now, with
Eyes of ice
I've seen her in the morning, when she is
Walking in the sun
And I always thought that she
Looked kind of nice
She spoke to me once
At a party, I think
And I thought at the time
That she had had too much to drink, because she
Said to me, 'There's a backbone gone
And I've got to get it back
Before going on...'
And your neighborhood girl
Seems to have resigned
She was looking out at people
From the back of her mind
And before she went off
She spoke to me again
She came up and said
'You have the eyes of a friend
And there's a razor's edge
That I have lost somewhere
And I would like it back
So if you've seen it anywhere...
I've been out for a while
But I'll be back in a bit
I am just walking through the smoke
Finding out if this is it
Because I've got this feeling
That things are going grey
And I'd like to hear a straight line
To help me find my way...'
I looked at her
And I did not know waht to say.
She had long black hair."
"Must be a different
Neighborhood girl, cause
Ours had blonde hair, in front of
McKinsey's Bar
And we were interested in her
And her
Clientele...
We just wonder where she's gone..."
"Oh she's gone?"
"Yes, she's gone, gone, gone."
The song Girls Like You by The Neighbourhood is a captivating narration of fleeting connections, conflicted emotions, and lost opportunities. The central theme of the song revolves around two different neighborhood girls at different times in the singer's life. The first neighborhood girl is the one who hung out in front of McKinsey's Bar, and the second neighborhood girl is the one who now lives down the singer's street.
The first neighborhood girl was mysterious and intriguing to the singer, and he was fascinated by her clientele. He wonders where she's gone and ponders the possibility that he may never know. The second neighborhood girl has "eyes of ice" and is walking in the sun when he first sees her. Although she initially seems unapproachable, she speaks to the singer at a party and reveals that she has lost something important and needs to find it before going on.
The lyrics of the song are cryptic and open to interpretation. They suggest that the singer has experienced both connection and detachment with neighborhood girls. The first girl is unknown and elusive, while the second girl is someone he knows and has talked to, but he still struggles to understand her.
Overall, the song is a poignant and reflective exploration of the complexities of human relationships and the deep emotional connections formed between people. It invites the listener to reflect on the fleeting nature of life and the importance of embracing the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
We had our
There was a girl from our neighbourhood
Neighborhood girl, she
She was a girl that lived near by
Used to hang out, in front of
She used to be seen often in front of
McKinsey's Bar, and we were
The location was McKinsey's Bar and we were
Interested in her, and her
She grabbed our attentions alongside her
Clientele...
People she was with
We just wonder where she's gone..."
Wondering where she is
"Oh she's gone?"
Asking if she's gone
"Yes, she's gone, gone, gone."
Reiterating the fact she's gone
"I think you know your
Talking about another girl who supposedly lives in the artist's street
Neighborhood girl, she
Similar girl to the girl in the neighborhood
Lives on my street, now, with
Lives on the same street as the artist
Eyes of ice
Cold and distant look in her eyes
I've seen her in the morning, when she is
Encounters her in the morning
Walking in the sun
Walking outside
And I always thought that she
She caught my attention
Looked kind of nice
She appeared to be attractive to the artist
She spoke to me once
The girl talked to the singer once
At a party, I think
Narrator thinks it happened at a party
And I thought at the time
Narrator didn't have anything in mind at the time
That she had had too much to drink, because she
Assumption made that she drank too much because of her odd behavior
Said to me, 'There's a backbone gone
She says to the artist that she's lost her sense of direction or purpose
And I've got to get it back
She needs help to regain what's missing
Before going on...'
Requiring her to fix something before moving on to her next step
And your neighborhood girl
Talks again about the first neighborhood girl
Seems to have resigned
Appears to have given up
She was looking out at people
She's observing people
From the back of her mind
Cognitively detached
And before she went off
Before she left
She spoke to me again
Talked to the singer again
She came up and said
Approached and talked to the singer
'You have the eyes of a friend
Suggesting that the artist is a good and supportive person
And there's a razor's edge
Describing a metaphorical sharp edge
That I have lost somewhere
Lost something important
And I would like it back
"She" wants the sharp edge back
So if you've seen it anywhere...
Asking the artist for help to find it
I've been out for a while
Has been gone for a longer duration
But I'll be back in a bit
Will be back soon
I am just walking through the smoke
"She" is walking through a murky and ambiguous situation
Finding out if this is it
Looking for confirmation if "this" is the right thing to do
Because I've got this feeling
Feeling uncertain
That things are going grey
Things are turning dull without direction
And I'd like to hear a straight line
Looking for clear instructions
To help me find my way...'
Closing stanza feels like unfulfillment
I looked at her
Narrator is looking at the second girl
And I did not know waht to say.
Speechless or not sure how to respond
She had long black hair."
Description of the second girl encounter
"Must be a different
Acknowledging that the second encounter was with a different girl
Neighborhood girl, cause
Different from the original girl described in the song
Ours had blonde hair, in front of
Description of the first girl seen in front of McKinsey's bar
McKinsey's Bar
Name of the bar
And we were interested in her
Taken by her and her demeanor
And her
Several qualities she possessed
Clientele...
People she used to hang out with
We just wonder where she's gone..."
Wondering what has happened to her
"Oh she's gone?"
Asking if she was gone
"Yes, she's gone, gone, gone."
Answering that she has left
Contributed by Miles H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Chloe Naughton
on West Coast
I don't know if I'm right or not, but I feel like when they sing "If the sun was God, I'd be covered in faith, If the ocean was the Devil, I'd be covered in hate", it means more than he's got a tan and swims in the ocean a lot. But I can't put my finger on what it could mean...