Lonely Neighbourhood got started as a way for the artist to channel his feelings during a difficult time in his life. Launching the songs off his guitar, he began writing and recording in the attic of his home. He is located in Cornwall, UK on a narrow lane surrounded on all sides by fields, hence the moniker ‘Lonely Neighbourhood’ to emphasize the idea of living on your own in the middle of nowhere. He says his sound is inspired by bands like The Fray, Skullcrusher, Beabadoobee, Kings of Leon, Coldplay and Soccer Mommy.
While he does sound similar to these bands, I’d also like to add Glen Hansard and Bon Iver to the list of like-minded acoustic acts that are in the same wavelength as him sonically. Immediately when I hit play on his self-titled Lonely Neighbourhood – EP, his sparse but emotionally powered sound surrounds and immerses me in the musical detail. He makes the sort of music you want to enjoy on a quiet and contemplative night on your own. Lonely Neighbourhood – EP opens with “Sad Country,” where mournful strumming on the acoustic guitar sets up the vibes here. The mood feels very melancholy once the artist’s vocals come in. This is a quiet and contemplative track. The simplistic style creates greater emotional resonance in the end. The music just builds and builds for a powerful crescendo. Some synths bring in a moody vibe towards the start of “Typical.” This felt like an atmospheric track packed with mood and feeling. As he sings about small town life, you readily feel the emotions coming from his lyrics and vocals. On “Sociality,” slowly as strands of guitars lift this track off the ground, the sound of percussive beats adds an invigorating vibe to the music. I was enjoying the uptick in pacing. This felt like a sunnier direction for the artist. On “Euphoria” some synths and guitar riffs slowly open up the vibes expanding from his acoustic-based sound into a fuller vibe. This felt like a rock-based ballad. Warbling synths greet the start of “Cause Concern” as acute strumming from the acoustic guitar binds the sound. Once his vocals enter, the somber vibe wraps around listeners. Next, the music grows for a rousing buildup with this dynamic closer. Lonely Neighbourhood certainly has a great singer/songwriter vibe to him that purveyors of the coffee shop or open mic scene will certainly appreciate. I really liked his simple style with just vocals on guitar, but his other tracks that layers in other instrumentals are also good too.. I could imagine myself sitting in a coffee house somewhere (it doesn’t have to be a Starbucks) and hearing his voice coming through the speakers. With that in mind, I also thought that perhaps in his next recording, he could get other musicians on board for a fuller sound. Maybe having a live drummer sit in could help flesh out the vibe he was going for. All in all, this was a nice record that I enjoyed and I hope to see more in the not-so-distant future.
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