On Oct. 23, returning indie band The Neighbourhood released three new songs to promote their upcoming album “(((((ultraSOUND)))))).” With songs titled “OMG,” “Lovebomb” and “Private,” the sound explores a new concept and lyrics that display themes of relationships.
The band consists of singer Jesse Rutherford, guitarists Zach Abels and Jeremey Freedman, bassist Mikey Margot and former but returning drummer, Brandon Fried. After the group reuniting after a three year long hiatus since November of 2021, the members were seen reconnecting in November 2024 and then officially announced their return on Aug. 29 to produce new music for their fans.
Since 2011, the band has consistently produced music that explores themes of love, heartache and overall human connections. “(((((ultraSOUND))))))” is no different, which makes the three preview songs released even better, as more anticipation is built up toward the album. With the already-established themes of these first few songs, I have a feeling it will lead to the album feeling almost nostalgic. With that being said, this is my personal review on those three songs.
“OMG” (4.5 out of 5)
The first song when you hit play- without shuffle—is “OMG,” which is my favorite so far. The song opens with a slow build-up and then goes all in. If I were to describe this song, I would say it sounds like a cold, late fall night. You live in a busy city, it rained all night and there’s fog on the ground. The band plays together amazingly. Both the bass and drums are the main instruments heard and it sounds “messy” but a good kind of messy. There are pauses in the song that lead to beat drops, which is another aspect of music that was executed well and it sounded incredible.
The lyrics in of themselves were satisfying and had the right amount of emotion relating to resentment, anger and love. There is depth to it and a desperate type of yearning towards the subject that I think is suitable to listen to during a late fall, early winter season. Some notable lyrics include:
“Rain or shine, you’re always on my mind/Nothing gets me high the same way you do.”
“I just want to smile the way I used to.”
“I did it because you told me to.”
The word choices and the way they all go together generates a sense of relatability for some, showing that love can cause people to do things and change themselves because of their partner. Overall, this song is my personal favorite out of the three, but I would not necessarily recommend it for a first-time listener due to its intensity.
“Lovebomb” (4.25 out of 5)
The next song on the album is “Lovebomb,” which I think is the next best song due to similar reasons as “OMG.” While the vibes are similar, they are also so different. Instead of describing the song as something to be played during late fall, I would say this one should be played during peak winter until toward the end of the season.
The song is overall slower, making it a great candidate for first-time listeners. Rutherford’s vocals are beautiful and breathy as opposed to the intense, husky vocals of “OMG.” Some notable lyrics include:
“I know it’s crazy, I know that I’m a fool/I know it’s way too soon to tell you I love you.”
“You just gotta say a few magic words/Baby, you’re gonna be the one to break the curse.”
“What’s it really matter who says it first/Say it to me, babe, I wanna break the curse.”
The concept of this song is that Rutherford doesn’t want to seem like a love-bomber, so he hopes his lover says the “magic words”—referring to “I love you”—instead of him.
Looking deeper into the song, the meaning is a lot more complex than I thought it initially was. This is also the type of song that I believe people can relate to but do not always want to say aloud. With that being said, it is a great candidate for first-time listeners.
“Private” (3 out of 5)
Finally, the last song of the album “Private.” If I thought the other songs were slow, I would say “Private” is even slower in the beginning but everything picks up towards the end and goes all in. The bass in specific was the main instrument heard throughout the song, notably in the beginning, which was fitting but not my favorite aspect.
The message of this song was also a lot more obvious than the others. “Keeping a relationship private so that no problems occur” is a very transparent theme. Although this is relatable to a lot of people, I feel like more depth could have been added, like how “Lovebomb” had a lot more emotional layers. However, some notable lyrics include:
“Too soon to save, better behave/Shh keepin’ it private”
“Why does it feel like we’re hiding?”
The song repeats a lot of these lyrics above, which isn’t a horrible thing to do in songs, but for the three previewing songs, I feel that a less repetitive song could have been chosen instead. The song in and of itself is pretty mediocre and not a standout to me, but Rutherford’s vocals in the outro do make up for the fact that this concept was more plain than the others.
All in all, there’s a lot to look forward to with the upcoming album. From the beat to the lyrics, The Neighbourhood has a high chance of bringing back life into music, and most excitingly, “The Wourld Tour” has been announced on Nov. 3 and has sold out nearly every single date, generating even more hype for the band’s return.
“I’m definitely most excited for the lyrics,” said Allure Cao, an avid listener. “The Neighbourhood has always had some of my favorite lyrics that are even better when paired with their familiar electronic and R&B elements.”
The entire “(((((ultraSOUND)))))” album will be released on Nov. 14 and consists of 15 tracks that I assume will continue to explore similar themes regarding relationships. I believe that this will be their next best album, especially after being on hiatus for so long; the lyrics are meaningful and the beat of their already previewed songs consist of a new yet familiarly rich sound that I predict fans will greatly enjoy.
Below is the track list for “(((((ultraSOUND)))))” in order:
(Bold refers to released songs):
- “Hula Girl”
- “OMG”
- “Lovebomb”
- “Private”
- “Lil Ol Me”
- “Planet.
- “Holy Ghost”
- “Rabbit”
- “Tides”
- “Daisy Chain”
- “Zombie”
- “Mama Drama”
- “Crushed”
- “Mute”
- “Stupid Boy”
