Although "Sweater Weather" it is a fantastic piece of music and one of my personal favorites, this song is probably the only reason you know who The Neighbourhood is.
If you've never listened to anything else by The Neighbourhood besides this mellow, California-beach-and-cardigan-inspired track, you're majorly missing out.
Full disclosure: until yesterday night, I was missing out.
I left the house for a couple hours, leaving my roommate sprawled on the couch in our bedroom and fixated on her laptop, on which she was streaming video after video of The Neighbourhood's various concert performances... And I came back several hours later to find her in exactly the same spot, doing the exact same thing.
So naturally, I joined in.
Fun fact: Neighbourhood's frontman Jesse Rutherford is only 22 years old and absolutely smokin' hot. I guarantee his mellow voice of silk and sexy will make you melt.
The band was formed in August 2011, originating in Norman, Oklahoma and later relocating to Newbury Park, California, and has five members.
The Neighborhood played at Coachella 2013, just a year and a half after forming, and barely two years after Jesse and one of the band members had gone to Coachella the previous year and realized they wanted to be on stage themselves.
Their debut album, I Love You., was released this past April, and they have already experienced overwhelming success and rising popularity in the music industry and among young adults especially.
After to diving into the mellow and refreshingly honest world of music that The Neighbourhood exists in, I have discovered a new favorite track:
Entitled "Afraid," its sound may at first seem strangely familiar; that's because it uses the exact same chords as the renown "Sweater Weather," and has much of the same laid-back vibe. However, upon further listening, "Afraid" establishes a darker mood than "Weather," due in part to the minor key of the song and the echoing techniques used in editing the track, but this haunting and anxious atmosphere is owed more to the lyrics of the song than anything.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrWwtU7iyl0 (Album Version, Explicit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwZk3G-44kI (Live/Acoutic Version on KROQ)
Some of my favorite lines include
"All my friends always lie to me, I know they're thinking:
'You're too mean, I don't like you, f*ck you anyway; You make me want to scream at the top of my lungs.
It hurts but I won't fight you, you suck anyway, you make me wanna die."
The chorus consists of Rutherford singing:
"When I wake up, I'm afraid somebody else might take my place [...]
When I wake up, I'm afraid somebody else might end up being me"
The reason I feel such a connection to these words is because I feel that fear of losing our identity or not knowing who we are is something that happens frequently, and commonly, among high school and college age students. It becomes to easy to get lost in the crowd when there are literally thousands of people surrounding you on a daily basis, and when you are far from the comfort of your childhood home and suddenly being thrown into and exposed to the world, completely on your own.
Everyone goes through issues with friends, or even just with people you are constantly surrounded by in whatever environment you find yourself.
The title of this track, however, is what speaks to me the most. From personal observation and experience, I don't think anyone would disagree with me when I say that people in their early 20s, leaving the teenage years behind and beginning independent adult life, are most hesitant and reluctant to use the word "afraid" when describing how they feel.
The thought of being alone or unsure, or both, is a terrifying one. Everyone feels it, at least sometimes, but no one ever wants to admit it; being afraid is synonymous with being weak.
Rutherford brings these unsure feelings and insecure thoughts to life in "Afraid," and I believe he does a remarkable job of creating a musical expression of the thoughts and emotions that people experience when they truly do feel insecure and afraid.
So. Thank you, Jesse, for showing me that
1) tattoos all over a guy's body can actually be extremely sexy,
2) The Neighbourhood does not only sing about wearing sweaters because "it's too cold for you here," and
3) that real people, all people, feel afraid... And that there's nothing wrong with it. You have inspired me.
Happy listening, friends! I hope you enjoy "Afraid" as much as I did, and don't forget to explore more of The Neighbourhood's stuff! They're super cool and definitely going places fast.
Cheers,
<3 Syd
PS: HOW SEXY IS HE?!?! I'm dyingggg
