The Neighbors - The Neighbors

The Neighbors

The Neighbors
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Eva Cantillo

The Neighbors is a young collective of two musicians, one drummer and one guitarist. Their latest self-titled EP The Neighbors was recorded on a road trip from the Florida Keys up the coast of Florida to Tallahassee. The style of their music is familiar in sound to bands like Brand New, and perhaps a little of electronic vibes similar to Hot Chip.

The first song on the album gives us a taste of what the band is all about. “Gravity” is a mix of hard-hitting lyrics, trippy guitar riffs, and simple and subtle percussions. Together, these sounds successfully build a pleasing and catchy song. The second song on the EP is titled “It’s Good” and it may be the best track on the entire album. The chorus of the song is very appealing and a bit repetitive, which makes it just ring in your head. The lyrics of “God bless you, and yours,” just call out over and over again making it both a pleasant string of words and something for the listener to sing along with. I find these lyrics revolving in my head after the song is over.

The last and final song on the short EP is a bit mellower than the other tracks. It starts off with a gentle yet leading guitar chord, then the vocal chimes in with a seductive almost whisper-like voice. “To the Matterhorn!” also has some repetitive lyrics of “Thank you” which are fun and musically appealing. There are bridges in this song that remind me of bands like Band of Horses and even Grizzly Bear.

The name of the band is something that tries true for this collective of young musicians. They are somewhat inconspicuous and mysterious, but then out of nowhere they’ll throw a wild party that will keep you up all night. They are definitely on the road to maturing as artists and developing their sound further. As for the quality of sound on the album, is it satisfactory but could benefit from a higher-quality recording environment and/or equipment. 

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