In a time when the Internet is a kingmaker, it’s hard for a band to come from literally nowhere to land on the airwaves across the globe. But when you’re a band from the farthest stretches of Los Angeles county and have only been together for 18 months it makes things that much more interesting. Add to that the singer of the band was a budding rapper before their formation and you have yourself the origins of how The Neighbourhood formed. 

Newbury Park, Calif. isn’t known as a musical hub, but about a half a decade or so ago, the town had a strong hardcore punk scene. Singer Jessie Rutherford was in a number of bands and knew the members of what was to become The Neighbourhood (purposely spelled with an “ou”) from that scene. A few years older than his bandmates, they looked up to Rutherford since had experienced a measured degree of success.

While the other guys, including guitarist Zach Abels, were busy doing things that normal kids in their late teens were doing, Rutherford was pursuing his career as a rapper. But things changed when he was hanging out with Abels at his parents’ house. The guitarist was needling around on his guitar and the lick immediately caught Rutherford’s attention. To that point, the singer-then-rapper was heading to New York City in ten days time to begin work on his rap career. But that lick caught him off-guard and almost instinctively, he began singing along. Thus, a band was formed.

The duo, along with the other three members worked tirelessly before Rutherford’s inevitable departure for New York. But when working on that original guitar lick, Rutherford told the guys he wanted to sing, instead of rap on the verses. That song ended up being “Sweater Weather,” a song that’s become an international hit.

Rutherford’s manager became the group’s manager, and got their music in the hands of Zane Lowe of the BBC. He was the first DJ to play them on the air. From there, the group quickly received attention both abroad and at home. “Sweater Weather” is a fixture on radio stations across the country and they’ve built a strong following with their live shows that resemble a punk band that an emerging rock band 

As much as their success is attributed to alt rock radio, The Neighbourhood sees themselves as more of a pop band, having grown up listening to Top-40 and pop radio. But that’s how a band functions in the 21^st century, especially a successful one. In order to capture the hearts and minds of all fans from all background (something that super savvy group is well aware of) a band needs to appeal to all. That’s the foundation of what pop music is built on and one that The Neighbourhood plans to follow. Their album may have received lukewarm reviews, but that doesn’t bother them. As long as they’re making music on their own terms and fans are coming to their shows, The Neighbourhood will continue to make music that they believe the masses will enjoy. For a new band, that’s all you can ask for.

Photo By Justin Bettman