The California-based alternative rock band The Neighbourhood released its fifth studio album, “(((((ultraSOUND)))))),” on Nov. 14, marking its first album in five years.
The band released their first EP in 2012, titled “I’m Sorry…” that features their number one song “Sweater Weather,” which currently has over four billion streams on Spotify.
The lead singer, Jesse Rutherford, and his band consistently released music until 2020, when the band announced via Instagram that they would be taking a hiatus.
The band came back when three songs from “(((((ultraSOUND))))))” were released three weeks before the full album, giving fans a taste of what was to come.
“Private” was the best song to start The Neighbourhood’s comeback with. It starts with a heavy drum beat that almost mimics the first few seconds of “Sweater Weather.” Following this, “OMG” and “Lovebomb” highlight the more pop-style of their music, reflecting on some of their past songs like “Leather Weather” from their tenth anniversary edition of the album “Wiped Out!”
All of these songs together encapsulate The Neighbourhood’s discography perfectly, highlighting how they are returning after such a long break, yet are still the band I loved in middle school, with a wide range of emotions from melancholic to euphoric.
“Hula Girl” starts out the full album with a slow but upbeat song that pairs with a beautifully crafted music video.
When I first heard this song, I immediately thought it should have been one of the singles leading up to the album release. The three tracks that were released did summarize the band’s past and showed their audience they haven’t completely changed, but this song truly does mix the genres of pop, indie and hints of R&B.
“Lil Ol Me” is the only song that would truly keep rock as one of the band’s genres. It’s the first song where the whole band is playing, but I skip it every time. It does not do the album any justice because it is so different from the other songs. It’s not a bad song, but at the end of the day, the album would be the same if the song wasn’t part of the tracklist.
Throughout The Neighbourhood’s career, all of their songs that are closer to pop feel uncomfortable, which makes the band unique. The song “Planet” on “(((((ultraSOUND))))))” has an intro that is about one minute and 15 seconds of the same melody, which adds to that uncomfortability. The wide variety of genres that span over the last ten years is just one aspect of why this band could take five years off and still carry a solid fanbase.
“Holy Ghost” and “Rabbit” introduce the slower section of the album. These songs simply don’t stand out to me. The strong lyrics are what carry these songs and are probably why they are on this album.
The Neighbourhood rose to fame in the early 2010s, when being emo or sad was trending. “Tides” and “Daisy Chain” are two songs that would have gone viral for that group of people. These two songs are what made me think ‘Oh, we’re so back,’ which is interesting since it took over halfway through the album for me to feel this way.
“Zombie” is the best song on the album. It’s an upbeat breakthrough after the previous slow songs. The standout aspect is the use of autotune and voice manipulation tools; this is the first time those effects are clearly present in the album. The Neighbourhood has been known to use these technological instruments in their songs, especially in their 2020 album, “Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones.” Using special effects with lyrics like “glued to the screen like a zombie,” makes the way the song sounds and the lyrics go hand in hand.
The rest of the album takes a weird reverse back to moodier songs like “Mama Drama,” “Crushed” and “Mute.” Throughout these songs, I constantly felt like I was waiting for something to happen, and I felt underwhelmed once the final song arrived.
“Stupid Boy” is the final song on “(((((ultraSOUND)))))).” The song itself is good overall but nothing groundbreaking. What makes it special is that it feels like a sequel to their song “Pretty Boy” from the band’s previous album.
“Pretty Boy” talks about not needing anyone but the person you’re with: “Even if my heart stops beating, you’re the only thing I need.” In contrast, “Stupid Boy” throws around the topic of something ending. Even though this connection isn’t confirmed, I believe there is something hidden behind the similar titles.
The songs in the album go up and down, and some are better than others, but this track list is a wonderful reflection of the band’s history. The final song ends very unexpectedly, which makes sense because we never know if The Neighbourhood will return.
Abby Madsen can be reached at mads3817@stthomas.edu.
