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.
Noise
The Neighbourhood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sick of being immoral, too
I was in it for the thrill of it
'Til I started feelin' the truth
Why'd you ever make me choose?
I don't wanna be like you
I thought I knew you
I don't wanna be like you
Realized I'm living in hell when I was given the news
Why'd you let the evil win?
How'd you let 'em sell it to you?
I remember growing up, mama used to sing me the blues
And now the kids are making noise
Just because it's something to do, to do, yeah
Why'd you ever make me choose?
I don't wanna be like you
I thought I knew you
But I never knew you would turn us into animals
I don't wanna be like you
I don't wanna be like you
I don't wanna be like you
So now I'm second guessin' real life (ah)
And if you left I still wouldn't feel right
The Neighbourhood's song "Noise" details the struggle of trying to find one's identity in a world that is constantly changing. The lyrics, "Sick of being innocent/Sick of being immoral, too" convey a sense of confusion and frustration with the concept of morality. The singer seems to be wrestling with the idea of right and wrong, and is no longer content with simply staying on the straight and narrow. The line, "I was in it for the thrill of it/'Til I started feelin' the truth" suggests that the singer was once living recklessly, but is now starting to see the consequences of his actions.
The chorus of the song repeats the question, "Why'd you ever make me choose?" The singer is pleading with someone, perhaps a friend or a mentor, who has led him down a path that he did not want to follow. He does not want to be like this person, and resents the fact that they have turned him into someone he does not want to be. The line, "Realized I'm living in hell when I was given the news" suggests that the singer has recently had a wake-up call, and is now seeing the world in a different light. He is starting to understand the true consequences of his actions, and is struggling to come to terms with them.
The final verse of the song takes a nostalgic turn, as the singer remembers his childhood and the music his mother used to sing. However, he contrasts this with the "noise" of the modern world, which he believes is mindless and pointless. The line, "And now the kids are making noise/Just because it's something to do, to do, yeah" suggests that the singer sees the younger generation as being lost and searching for meaning, just like he was.
Overall, "Noise" is a song about the struggle to find one's place in the world, and the consequences that come with making the wrong choices. The singer is searching for a sense of purpose, but is constantly being bombarded by distractions and temptations. The song is a reminder that every choice we make has consequences, and that it is up to us to choose wisely.
Line by Line Meaning
Sick of being innocent
Tired of being naive and inexperienced
Sick of being immoral, too
Also, tired of acting against moral principles
I was in it for the thrill of it
I did it for fun and excitement
'Til I started feelin' the truth
Until I began to realize the consequences and reality of my actions
Why'd you ever make me choose?
Asking why they were put in a situation where they had to make a difficult decision
I don't wanna be like you
Not wanting to follow in someone else's footsteps
I thought I knew you
Believing they had a good understanding of the other person
But I never knew you would turn us into animals
Realizing the other person's actions caused them to act in an uncivilized manner
Realized I'm living in hell when I was given the news
Understanding their life had become a miserable existence when they received certain information
Why'd you let the evil win?
Questioning why they allowed bad things to happen or be victorious
How'd you let 'em sell it to you?
Asking how they allowed someone to manipulate or deceive them
I remember growing up, mama used to sing me the blues
Recalling a time when their mother expressed sadness or struggle through music
And now the kids are making noise
Noticing that the younger generation is making noise, both literally and metaphorically
Just because it's something to do, to do, yeah
Doing something because it's available and not necessarily because it's worthwhile
So now I'm second guessin' real life (ah)
Doubting and questioning the legitimacy of their current reality
And if you left I still wouldn't feel right
Even if the other person left, things still wouldn't feel normal or correct
I don't wanna be like you
Reiterating the desire to not follow in another's footsteps
I don't wanna be like you
Again, expressing the wish to not emulate someone else
I don't wanna be like you
A final repetition of not wanting to be like someone else
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Anthony Mario DeMatteo, Brandon Alexander Fried, J Bates, Jeremy Allen Freedman, Jesse J Rutherford, Lars Stalfors, Michael Blake Margott, Zach Shane Abels
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@samaradias833
[Verse 1]
Sick of being innocent
Sick of being ignorant too
I was in it for the thrill of it
Till I started feeling the truth
[Chorus]
Why'd you ever make me choose?
I don't wanna be like you
I thought I knew you, but I never knew you would turn us into animals
I don't wanna be like you
[Verse 2]
Realize I was living in hell when I was given the news
Why'd you let the evil in?
How'd you let them sell it to you?
I remember growing up mama used to sing me the blues
And all the kids were making noise just because it's something to do, to do, yeah
[Chorus]
Why'd you ever make me choose?
I don't wanna be like you
I thought I knew you, but I never knew you would turn us into animals
I don't wanna be like you
I don't wanna be like you
I don't wanna be like you
[Outro]
So now I'm second guessing real life
And if you left I still wouldn't feel right
@miiasaurous
I can now die peacefully
@aza3921
Don't forget the other low-key trip enducing songs the neighbourhood has to offer
@rmandrea49
I love this band more than i love myself.
@malachicruz7216
Allyson Ramirez. Same lol
@seeyouthen8420
Allyson Ramirez too real
@rmandrea49
I'm dying, Jesse's voice it's just unique
@k.r4748
Same. His voice is beautiful
@ropi.
tbf it's not too hard to love something more than myself for me lol
@evaniecastro8027
Lurk: “I want to be ignorant”
Noise: “Sick of being ignorant..”
@kim-dw8yk
my ears are shook