“Livin’ in a Dream,” where The Neighbourhood released their new EP

By Chanelle Fagbemi

After teasing fans with their track, “Livin’ In A Dream,” the California band released their long-awaited EP, Ever Changing. If you haven’t been following the Neighbourhood since “Sweater Weather,” quite a bit has changed. Since then, they have retired their entirely monochromatic aesthetic, released their mixtape, “#000000 & #FFFFFF,” a second album, and two EPs along with their third self-titled album, “The Neighbourhood.

Ever Changing”, produced by Lars Stalfors, consists of five tracks, featuring hip hop artists, Denzel Curry, Nipsey Hussle, Ghostface Killah, and IDK. The collaboration between old and new age artists is one to be appreciated with the unparalleled Ghostface Killah from Wu-Tang Clan being among the iconic features on this record. “Beat Take 1” featuring Ghostface, is the third and arguably most catchy track of the EP. The east coast rapper, known for his vivid narration is undoubtedly suitable for the track. On a looped beat, lead singer Jesse Rutherford and Ghostface illustrate their ideal worlds in a sort of plea for euphoric freedom. The track has a real west coast hip-hop vibe, yet it shares a similar dynamic to Ghostface’s own music. When listening to tracks like “Mighty Healthy” by Ghostface to then songs like “West Coast” by The Neighbourhood, influences from both parties could be heard on this track. The rhythmic and lyrical compositions of the “Beat Take 1” completely unite the qualities of both The Neighbourhood and Ghostface, as any successful collab should.

“Ever Changing” ultimately infuses the band’s distinctive style with some elements of Old School hip-hop, which is especially evident in “Kill us all,” “Beat Take 1” and “Beautiful Oblivion.”

This is not the first time that The Neighbourhood has experimented with their sound; from their mixtape, “#000000 & #FFFFFF”, featuring artists like Casey Veggies, French Montana, and Dej Loaf to their more recent pop-influenced track “Scary Love,” it is obvious that the band’s discography is boundless.

Now with this project, The Neighbourhood has officially proven that they are not confined by the alternative genre. This EP highly contrasts the Neighbourhood’s former audio and visual styles, but within reason. Lead singer, Jesse Rutherford, has admitted that their stylistic changes in their sound are completely intentional to both evolve as a band and create a record where each member’s individual interests could be represented. It truly cultivates the state of the band and their ability to stay relevant, as they choose to reinvent themselves through time.

“Ever Changing” completes their four-part project including the EPs, “Hard”, “To Imagine”, and their self-titled album, “The Neighbourhood”. In sequence, the completed project forms the sentence: “Hard To Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing” — and that in itself is worth a Grammy nomination.