The Neighbourhood
Written by
Georgina Langford
Posted
06/11/2012
Dressed all in black and wearing Ray Bans despite the drizzling rain, Californian 5-piece, The Neighbourhood, already have that 'rockstar thing' nailed. Lead singer Jesse Rutherford balances a toothpick on his bottom lip while teaming skinny jeans with a fur trimmed leather jacket that only partially conceals a wealth of tattoos.
Different musical elements feed into The Neighbourhood's sound, from Jesse's hip-hop background to a collective history in hardcore bands. His frequently melancholic lyrics generally stem from personal experience as he has a self-proclaimed "really bad imagination. I don't make things up."
The Neighbourhood consistently dress in monochrome, right down to their Vans – a show of support for the brand hailing from their homeland. Every photograph and every video of the five - Jesse, Bryan, Jeremy, Mikey and Zach - is in black and white, which, as Jesse explains, is more about identity than aesthetic. "I call everything we do 'black and white'. There is no grey area with what we're doing."
Regarding their look the band's drummer claims that Jesse's evolving style runs parallel to him making different types of music. "It's almost like what he wears determines what he's going to make in the studio," says Bryan. Jesse clarifies; "I have to wake up in the morning and put on clothes that are who I want to be, think and feel. I enjoy style, typography, too." This love of fonts is currently at a point where, much to his bandmates' amusement, "he won't eat in a restaurant that has a menu printed in Comic Sans or Papyrus."
Naturally, Jesse also has a hand in the production of the film noir-style music videos. "The look of the video has to match up with our sound; there is nothing worse than when you've heard a song, pictured these cool looking guys and then you see them and they all look like slobs." The Neighbourhood are yet to appear in any of their own videos, using collated vintage footage instead. Their next clip, Let it Go, is released 14 November.
Growing up playing in various bands that were often all on the same bills, this group of "best buds" (according to Bryan) joined forces after Jesse's manager Kirk asked him what he wanted to do next. "I told him I wanted to do a band with my best friends, it was going to be called The Neighbourhood, and that was it." It is perhaps this bond that has inspired a level of dedication to the group resulting in three members already having The Neighbourhood symbol, an upside-down house, as tattoos. Jesse is still waiting to get his done, which will be on his wedding finger - much to the disgust of his ex-girlfriend. "I told her, I'm like the lamest of rockstars: I'm married to it, man!" he laughs.
The Neighbourhood are a band living and breathing their dream, and it's working; a packed crowd watched their debut UK gig at East London's Birthdays venue, a defining moment for Jesse. "To have gone three thousand miles away from home and for people to know one word to your songs, is the most incredible thing," he says.
The Neighbourhood's debut album is expected in March 2013.
Follow @TheNBHD on Twitter
Photography: Ross Trevail
Different musical elements feed into The Neighbourhood's sound, from Jesse's hip-hop background to a collective history in hardcore bands. His frequently melancholic lyrics generally stem from personal experience as he has a self-proclaimed "really bad imagination. I don't make things up."
The Neighbourhood consistently dress in monochrome, right down to their Vans – a show of support for the brand hailing from their homeland. Every photograph and every video of the five - Jesse, Bryan, Jeremy, Mikey and Zach - is in black and white, which, as Jesse explains, is more about identity than aesthetic. "I call everything we do 'black and white'. There is no grey area with what we're doing."
Regarding their look the band's drummer claims that Jesse's evolving style runs parallel to him making different types of music. "It's almost like what he wears determines what he's going to make in the studio," says Bryan. Jesse clarifies; "I have to wake up in the morning and put on clothes that are who I want to be, think and feel. I enjoy style, typography, too." This love of fonts is currently at a point where, much to his bandmates' amusement, "he won't eat in a restaurant that has a menu printed in Comic Sans or Papyrus."
Naturally, Jesse also has a hand in the production of the film noir-style music videos. "The look of the video has to match up with our sound; there is nothing worse than when you've heard a song, pictured these cool looking guys and then you see them and they all look like slobs." The Neighbourhood are yet to appear in any of their own videos, using collated vintage footage instead. Their next clip, Let it Go, is released 14 November.
Growing up playing in various bands that were often all on the same bills, this group of "best buds" (according to Bryan) joined forces after Jesse's manager Kirk asked him what he wanted to do next. "I told him I wanted to do a band with my best friends, it was going to be called The Neighbourhood, and that was it." It is perhaps this bond that has inspired a level of dedication to the group resulting in three members already having The Neighbourhood symbol, an upside-down house, as tattoos. Jesse is still waiting to get his done, which will be on his wedding finger - much to the disgust of his ex-girlfriend. "I told her, I'm like the lamest of rockstars: I'm married to it, man!" he laughs.
The Neighbourhood are a band living and breathing their dream, and it's working; a packed crowd watched their debut UK gig at East London's Birthdays venue, a defining moment for Jesse. "To have gone three thousand miles away from home and for people to know one word to your songs, is the most incredible thing," he says.
The Neighbourhood's debut album is expected in March 2013.
Follow @TheNBHD on Twitter
Photography: Ross Trevail
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The Neighbourhood
