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.
Honest
The Neighbourhood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I made it too hard for you maybe you should've changed it.
Say it, you should say it,
'Cause I'd say I was wrong just to make it fill all the spaces.
Waiting, always waiting.
If I gave you control would you say that (We could've saved it?)
I hope you find a way to be yourself someday,
In weakness or in strength,
Change can be amazing.
So I pray for the best, I pray for the best for you.
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me, with me
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me, with me
Chasing, always chasing dreams.
Why'd you stick around, why'd you stay with me?
Why'd you fake it?
Hesitation is killing me too.
But I couldn't save it, I couldn't save it.
I hope you find a way to be yourself someday,
In weakness or in strength,
Change can be amazing.
So I pray for the best, I pray for the best for you.
I hope you find a way to be yourself someday,
In weakness or in strength,
Change can be amazing.
So I pray for the best, I pray for the best for you.
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me, with me
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me, with me
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me, with me
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest
In "Honest," The Neighbourhood explores the complexities of a deteriorating relationship. The song's lyrics center around the idea of honesty and the frustration that comes from feeling like someone is not being true with you. The line "If I made it too hard for you maybe you should've changed it" suggests that the singer feels like they may have contributed to the dishonesty in some way. They also admit to their own faults ("I'd say I was wrong just to make it fill all the spaces") and express a desire for their partner to be honest with them.
The chorus repeats the desire for honesty and transparency: "I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me, with me." The singer recognizes that the relationship is not salvageable ("But I couldn't save it, I couldn't save it") and expresses a hope that their partner will find a way to be themselves and embrace change. The song ends on a wistful note, with the repetition of the line "I wish you could be honest" emphasizing the importance of honesty in any relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Patience, test my patience.
I am willing to wait, but it's not easy.
If I made it too hard for you maybe you should've changed it.
If I asked for too much, you should have said so.
Say it, you should say it,
You should speak up.
'Cause I'd say I was wrong just to make it fill all the spaces.
I would apologize just to avoid conflict.
Waiting, always waiting.
I am always waiting for you.
If I gave you control would you say that (We could've saved it?)
If you had more say, could we have made it work?
I hope you find a way to be yourself someday,
I hope you can be true to yourself.
In weakness or in strength,
No matter what, whether you feel strong or weak.
Change can be amazing.
Change can be a wonderful thing.
So I pray for the best, I pray for the best for you.
I hope things work out for you.
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me, with me
I want you to be open and truthful with me.
Chasing, always chasing dreams.
We are always chasing our dreams, but what are we really after?
Why'd you stick around, why'd you stay with me?
Why did you stay with me if you didn't really want to?
Why'd you fake it?
Why did you pretend to be something you're not?
Hesitation is killing me too.
I am also struggling with indecisiveness.
But I couldn't save it, I couldn't save it.
I couldn't make things work, no matter how hard I tried.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Anthem Entertainment
Written by: JEREMY FREEDMAN, JESSE RUTHERFORD, MIKE MARGOTT, ZACHARY ABELS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nikolaa..
my top 5:
1. scary love
2. alleyways
3. honest
4. let it go
5. you get me so high
I wrote this ^ like 4 months ago so here’s my top 5 now:
1) a little death
2) blue 😩
3) wires
4) reflections
5) you get me so high or honest
omg i wrote the first one over a year ago ??? time flies tbf soo here’s my top 5 now (feb 2022 😰)
1) softcore (not bc of tiktok 😕)
2) flowers // compass (i can’t decide lol)
3) dust
4) $ting
5) no grey
2023 now so here’s another update i’ll be back in a year 😇
1) sadderdaze
2) wires
3) sting
4) wiped out!
5) how
@mariaolaru7976
Patience, test my patience.
If I made it too hard for you maybe you should've changed it.
Say it, you should say it,
'Cause I'd say I was wrong just to make it fill all the spaces.
Waiting, always waiting.
If I gave you control would you say that we could've saved it?
I hope you find a way to be yourself someday,
In weakness or in strength,
Change can be amazing.
So I pray for the best, I pray for the best for you.
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me.
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me.
Chasing, always chasing dreams.
Why’d you stick around, why’d you stay with me?
Why’d you fake it?
Hesitation is killing me too.
But I couldn’t save it, I couldn’t save it.
I hope you find a way to be yourself someday,
In weakness or in strength,
Change can be amazing.
So I pray for the best, I pray for the best for you.
So I pray for the best, I pray for the best for you.
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me.
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me.
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me.
I wish you could be honest, I wish you could be honest with me.
@TheXXXOliwciaXXX
God, I'm totally obsessed with this band..
@alejandraorellana4574
Me too!!! and I just know them today!!!
@victoria_ray983
I used to not like them when sweater weather came out and then after a little while I walked into the neighbourhood......get it😂but they are soooooooo AMAZING❤️❤️
@TheXXXOliwciaXXX
TORI_@LOL
hahah♥ Actually, I love them since sweather weather came out! :D Yeah, they are! <3
@willie_mov
I was actually sitting at work with VHS on TV. I hate pop, but sweater weather came on and I was like "damn... This is not bad at all." So I looked it up later and checked out a few more songs, not expecting much, but it just got better and better with each song. Not one let me down. At first I couldn't decide whether I wanted to listen to the same song I just listened to or find more. Lol and now here I am eagerly waiting for Wiped out!. P.S. I love metal, so this is peculiar for me lol
@breanamelendez8356
+Oliwia... me too omg
@TheSparties
I love this song, it's a shame NBHD isn't more popular.
@SwishaSilva
I think they're popular and well known. Personally I'm happy they're not mainstream, I'd get sick of these songs if the radio over played them.
@trin1277
Anthony P. Doesn't anyone know they split up?
@josezamora1639
lifeaspianist What!?!?