The Neighbourhood: Sweater Weather

Stage: early 2012. A mysterious band appeared on the interwebs. The group, The Neighbourhood, revealed no bio, no photos nor backstory, offering only a moody track titled “Female Robbery.” Fans and the press were confounded confused and a little lost, endlessly sculling the net for any kernel of information that might lead them to the identity of these mysterious musicians. Pieces of the puzzle, some reflecting reality and some not so much, began to crystallize. The Neighbourhood were a quintet; They were from California--in spite of the Britishization of their name. Then, “Sweater Weather,” which had an accompanying — and equally dark — video.

Although The Neighbourhood’s identity remained in question, reality was that the music they were making felt transformative to critics and fans alike. The evocative combination of rock instruments with R&B and hip-hop aesthetics seemed, in many ways, revolutionary, a re-imagining of sounds that left everyone wanting MORE.

Stage: 2013. The Neighbourhood are an American alternative rock/dark pop band that formed in Newbury Park, California in August 2011. The band consists of members Jesse Rutherford, Riff Raff, Jeremy Freedman, Zach Abels, Mikey Margott, and Bryan Sammis.