It's "Hard" Not to Love The Neighbourhood's New EP

After a short hiatus following their tour promoting their second album, Wiped Out!, the Southern California alternative band marked their reactivation with a new EP in the latter half of September.Exhibiting dark, cloudy vibes since their debut EP in 2012, The Neighbourhood's new EP, Hard, dares to dig deeper into the band's cool, angsty, hip-hop/R&B flavored alternative music. While the California 5-piece has always held fast to their sense of experimentalism, this new project shows signs of THE NBHD expanding even more on their atmospheric sound. From the beginning to the end of the EP, the band demonstrates how they have honed their skills in exhibiting their shady moods through their music.

Cover Art for 'Hard' by The Neighbourhood

The EP starts out with "Roll Call," an uncanny, steady-beated, low-toned number that seems to grasp the desolation of conformity with its constant reference to a "little soldier" caught in the midst of acquiescence before finally exerting a muffled yet passionate protest shouting "I wanna walk like me! I wanna talk like me!" The lyrics are backed by a slow and simple groove with a slightly hesitant bass line along with occurrences of delicate synths, dim choral arrangements, quivering guitars, and agitated modulation.

The band continues the EP with an airy love song, "You Get Me So High." The beginning of the song immediately entertains with the main riff's spacious reverb sound which is soon accompanied by a compelling drum and bass combination. Driven by smooth vocal and instrumental hooks from beginning to end, this song's straightforward rhythms and melodies work together with catchy and expressive lyrics of having deep feelings for someone in the past as well as the present to captivate the listener.

The next track, "Noise," presents a more rugged sound than previous and subsequent tracks on the EP. The distorted drone of the guitars is coupled with frustrated lyrics to seemingly express displeasure with the music industry which can be frustrating whether it be the demands of the profession or industry itself. With lines such as, "I remember growing up, mama used to sing me the blues. Now the kids are making noise just because it's something to do," the song suggests that music, popular music in particular, has lost its substance and seldom has as much meaning or emotional content than it used to contain.

"24/7" returns to a smoother sound on the EP. This track stands out with its wavering electronics and persistent bass drum which give the song a more compelling sound to pull in the audience. This song also grips the listener with its story-like lyrics. While the meaning of the song is rather obscure, it tells two respective stories of "Daddy's little girl" and "Mama's little boy" who are both seemingly in a rush through life while the writer tells the girl and boy, "You can't worry 'bout time," and "Just give it some time," respectively.

The band ends on a more depressing note with "Sadderdaze." The regretful and reminiscent tones of this number are evident with lines such as "Saturdays are not the same as they used to be." A simple, alternative ballad accompanied by shimmering, effect-laden guitars and gentle strings, this song displays the feelings of stress and the pressures of growing up and being successful.

All in all, The Neighbourhood did not disappoint with this EP. Its deep, emotional content and sensible instrumentation keep the listener wanting more. The new EP Hard can be found on various platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify and is very accessible, so I encourage anyone who's interested to give it a listen. Enjoy!