“Wiped Out!” the sophomore album by indie-rock band The Neighbourhood, came out at the end of October, and leaves much to be desired.
The album starts off clever, with the first track, “A Moment of Silence,” literal silence, setting the listener up for an apprehensive journey. It is said to be a moment of silence in honor of the lead singer Jesse Rutherford’s father’s passing.
The second record, “Prey,” has a great indie-vibe, with mystical, haunting sounds that give you goosebumps. The lyrics are emotional, with examples such as: “Something is off, I can’t explain it . . . Something I saw or did made me like this / Could you help me?”
The next track, “Cry Baby,” is an indie-pop song with the theme of self-consciousness and seeing the worst parts of yourself while falling for someone who helps to ease your self-doubt.
The fourth piece, the album’s namesake “Wiped Out!” is a song about fear and confusion, at times even contemplating death: “I don’t know what to believe / All I wanna do is leave.” The melody gets more and more gritty, with static noises reaching their climax towards the end of the song, leaving you unsettled and questioning whether or not to change the song.
The next track, “The Beach,” has a powerful message of struggling with depression and relying on someone else, all while fearing putting pressure on them: “I hope I don’t murder me / I hope I don’t burden you.” However, this song and all of the others before it have something in common: very similar melodies. It is at this point, you begin to question why the songs all sound musically the same.
“Daddy Issues,” the next recording, regards a toxic relationship due to both you and your partner struggling with poor relationships with your fathers, and it influences your allowance of intimacy.
“Baby Came Home 2 / Valentines” is an intriguing piece, with no chorus. The narrative describes lingering memories from an ex-lover, and coming to terms with yourself after the fact.
The next track, “Greetings from Califournia,” is a very eerie piece, with some hip-hop themes. It is the most melodically derivative up to this point in the album, which isn’t saying much.
“Ferrari,” the album’s ninth track, honestly doesn’t stand out. The lyrics didn’t shine, and like much of the rest of this album, the melody doesn’t go anywhere groundbreaking.
“Single” comes next, a song about still being in love with someone. It’s simultaneously cutesy and sad: “You know you got all my attention / You know you got all mine.”
The final track, “R.I.P. 2 My Youth,” is a piece about growing up and letting go of childhood purity: “I was naïve and hopeful and lost / Now I’m aware and driving my thoughts.” It was a beautiful idea to close the album with.
Overall, the dark themes and profound lyrics of these songs were astounding, and definitely worth checking out. My main complaint with the album is that the melody sounds nearly the same in each piece. I felt that I was listening to one long song, and without the lyrics, I don’t know that I would be able to tell them apart.
