Los Angeles outfit the Neighbourhood haven't yet been able to achieve peak breakout yet, even off the success that was "Sweater Weather." New album Wiped Out! aims to correct that. The five-piece maintain the melancholic, post-Gotye motif they established with 2013 album I Love You here; the nine-track Wiped Out! serving a millennial-minded mash-up of rock, pop and urban influences. This time out, however, they go in a bit harder on the R&B vibes and trap beats, with pretty chill results.
"Baby Came Home 2/Valentines" is a ballad and cautionary tale ("Who's gonna catch me when I…"), while "Cry Baby" sees frontman Jesse Rutherford do his best Drake impression in terms of vocals and lyrical content. "Daddy Issues" flips a muted guitar riff on top of electronic organ (resulting in a catchy enough, midtempo pop ditty).
The funky groove and airy vocals on "Greetings from Califournia" aim at mind-expansion, and "Ferrari" zooms with a hard-driving theme that takes off without a clear destination (but gets there anyway). "Single" could be a Justin Bieber single — "Can you let your baby be my girl?" — so the merits of it depend on your musical perspective.
Ultimately, Wiped Out! comes off as a "see what sticks" effort; it's slick and polished, but hits varying levels of satisfaction throughout.
(Sony)"Baby Came Home 2/Valentines" is a ballad and cautionary tale ("Who's gonna catch me when I…"), while "Cry Baby" sees frontman Jesse Rutherford do his best Drake impression in terms of vocals and lyrical content. "Daddy Issues" flips a muted guitar riff on top of electronic organ (resulting in a catchy enough, midtempo pop ditty).
The funky groove and airy vocals on "Greetings from Califournia" aim at mind-expansion, and "Ferrari" zooms with a hard-driving theme that takes off without a clear destination (but gets there anyway). "Single" could be a Justin Bieber single — "Can you let your baby be my girl?" — so the merits of it depend on your musical perspective.
Ultimately, Wiped Out! comes off as a "see what sticks" effort; it's slick and polished, but hits varying levels of satisfaction throughout.