Wiped Out! is the Neighborhood’s newest album.
By Erin Cabrey
California genre-bending alternative group The Neighbourhood has returned with its sophomore album, Wiped Out!, a moody yet melodic outing that sounds like a beach trip in December.
In Spring 2013, The Neighbourhood’s debut album, I Love You., produced the sleeper hit “Sweater Weather,” which topped the Billboard alternative chart for 11 weeks. Two years later, Wiped Out! tries to capitalize on that success, but despite remaining loyal to the band’s beach-goth aesthetic, does not quite match the quality of its predecessor.
Wiped Out! opens with a track entitled “A Moment of Silence” which, quite literally, is 30 seconds of silence, an odd creative choice that will likely confuse listeners. As for audible songs, the band mainly sticks to its downtempo formula from I Love You. “The Beach” displays lead singer Jesse Rutherford’s strong vocals as he sings cheeky lyrics such as “And you can throw me shade, all it does is just cool me off,” which have become the band’s signature. “Daddy Issues,” a raw and earnest song that touches on the loss of Rutherford’s father, has a bizarre chorus plagued with creepy-sounding lines (“I love that you got daddy issues, and I do too”) that will rub many listeners the wrong way. On “Single,” the group tries something new by swapping heavy synth for an acoustic guitar, but lines like “Can you let your baby be my girl?” make it sound like a mid-2000s Jesse McCartney song.
Though The Neighbourhood tends to specialize in slower tracks, the strongest tracks on Wiped Out! are the uptempo ones. “Cry Baby” is undoubtedly the album’s best song, as the band’s California goth sound mixes with 90s pop influences. “Prey” and “Greetings from Califournia” are also highlights, as both are haunting and infectiously innovative with sober, anxious lyrics reminiscent of “Afraid” from I Love You. The album’s brilliant closer “R.I.P. 2 My Youth” ends Wiped Out! with energy and urgency that was missing from some of the earlier tracks.
At Wiped Out!’s peaks, listeners will feel like they are taking a brooding walk on a cold, grayscale beach. At its dips, a few lyrics warrant eyerolls and the production becomes a bit too self-indulgent. However, The Neighbourhood’s creative risks are what set them apart from other bands, and while Wiped Out! lacks some of their debut’s raw charisma, it solidifies The Neighbourhood’s standing as one of the most intriguing outfits in the alternative genre.
