It’s a Bop- Lynn M. 

After five years of radio silence, without much press release, and without a prevalent social media presence from the band, The Neighbourhood released their 5th studio album (((((ultraSOUND))))), bringing them out of their ongoing hiatus. As of today, the album has garnered over 40 million streams on Spotify alone from its staggering 15 total tracks. It was released on Nov. 14 under Warner Records, featuring a reunited band. After Jesse Rutherford’s strange, age-gapped relationship with Billie Eilish in 2023 and Brandon Fried’s withdrawal from the band, The Neighbourhood returned, as a united front, to the music scene with their textured, raw, and introspective take on an album meant to symbolize new beginnings with the same old, unpolished tones.

The album begins with “Hula Girl,” a song that straight from the start introduces a powerful, classic Neighbourhood-esque beat, with the talented drummer backing it up. But my first impression was that it didn’t feel like a song The Neighbourhood would typically put out; something felt off, it felt different. The opening lyrics sounded rough on my ears with vocals that didn’t flatter the song, or me. It wasn’t until I gave the song another listen that I was able to really get behind it and start to hear its elements present in past songs by the band. And as the chorus began to pick up, I realized, even on my initial listen, that this song was going to grow on me. It felt as if I got to listen to Wiped Out! for the first time all over again.

The 2nd song, “OMG,” fell very flat with me. It had the band’s traditional guitar and drums to back it up, but its repetitiveness began to really bore me about a minute in. Not to mention, my only thought throughout the entire thing was, “Wow, this sounds like a track made for Genshin Impact.” Not good.

“Lovebomb” brought me back a little bit, although I didn’t think it was as catchy as “Hula Girl.” I really appreciated the ad-libs since they added a great touch to the overall tone of the song. Some of the lyrics did seem a bit cliché at times; however, I found myself liking the sort of different vibe they brought to the song. As a whole, it seemed something akin to a Cigarettes After Sex song.

The next tracks of the album are what made me love the entire thing. On my first listen, “Private” was my favorite song. It was simplistic, with a simple chorus and a composition that was incredible. Sometimes, simple is just how things need to be done. As they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This song is also the first to include any specific mention of “ultrasound.” These ad-libs, paired with the rhyme of the lyrics, made it a worthwhile listen.

From there, the album took a progressively more alternative-rock kind of style. “Lil Ol Me” incorporated an old, punk rock sound that I didn’t mind at all. The opening alone, with fantastic drums and rhythm, made the song worth the 3 minutes and 28 seconds of it. I also highly appreciated the simple, repeating, but FANTASTIC guitar riff throughout this song.

“Planet” took a slightly different turn with a beat that felt like it could pair well with a Tame Impala song. From the start, the lyrics immerse the listener into a story, one about a relatable topic: being stuck with someone you have to put your full trust in without knowing if they will abandon you. Also, the guitar side of things keeps its angst, something I found myself liking.

“Holy Ghost” was heavily lyric-based, but the beat wasn’t forgotten. It’s an intriguing song, with a steady composition throughout. I really loved the line, “Oh, I feel like a ghost.” What teen has never related to that?

The 8th track, “Rabbit,” was my absolute favorite. I could go on and on about this song. The unique opening guitar, bringing back the feeling of some of The Neighbourhood’s older albums, the lack of over-the-top vocals transitions the album smoothly and giving them the chance to really shine, and the chorus that immediately grabs you. It falls so nicely on the ears and has this quick-paced lyricism that I loved. I simply fell in love with the whole thing. It’s introspective; it’s textured, purely The Neighbourhood.

The songs that followed also held their own. “Tides” opened with an intro that goes hard. Hearing waves of the ocean in the middle of the song was a nice callback to Wiped Out!. One of my favorite parts of this song was the quiet ad lib, “I love you, just trust me.”

“Daisy Chain” brought the album back to an earthly level with a slowed pace. It had unique wording in the lyrics that leaves the listener curious about what it all might mean. It’s poetic. And again, the guitar is PHENOMENAL!!!

Transitioning back to a more upbeat feel, “Zombie” returned a sort of energetic life to the album. I didn’t really care for the vocal editing on this one, but I could see past it. The ending bass was pretty cool, too. “Mama Drama” came in with a bang when the lyrics finally hit, bringing with it similar music elements to “Hula Girl”, therefore beginning to transition the album to a close and wrapping things up.

“Crushed” had a funkier sort of beat with well-worded lyrics giving life to a story about heartbreak. I like the “Crushed by an angel” motif. Overall, it’s a poetic and interesting song. “Mute” brought with it a garage band sound that I loved, about not quite knowing what to say to someone you don’t truly have feelings for. The feeling of letting someone down is something that a lot of people can relate to.

The album ends with the song “Stupid Boy”. It takes a very dark turn, giving the album a whole new tone. The guitar sounded Foo Fighters-esque, with everything else sounding like a classic alternative sound. The end of the song gets very yell-y, but I thought it had a nice message. “Joke’s on you, stupid boy. I won’t let you kill my joy.” What an ending line. What an incredible album.

It’s a Bop- Sydney R.

I will say I focus more on the instrumental, beat, and melody rather than the lyrics and meaning of the song.

Through my first listen of “Hula Girl,” I couldn’t get into it. I found the merge of the guitar and vocals pleasant. The progression isn’t terrible; it is definitely more of a slow song than I typically enjoy. This song would work better if I were in the right kind of mood.

The following, “OMG,” scratches my brain. I found the vocals wonderful in the beginning.  It had my head getting into the beat. The melody in the end wasn’t my all-time favorite, but the rest of the song made up for a lot.

“Lovebomb,” started sweet. It had a good progression and was well-paced. I loved the soft vocals during the first chorus and the emotion that the lyrics bring with the instruments. For the majority of the song, it was giving me a LoliRock vibe. Personally, I related to the song.

I was not expecting the vibe to change so much in the fourth track, where I felt like it was giving mild chasing through woods vibes. “Private,”, there is definitely privacy in the woods. I enjoyed the slower pacing of this song with the lyrics. It meshed well when it dropped to just drums and came back. It itches the craving of my brain for the instrumental they were giving.

Now the fifth track is where it dropped for me. I didn’t like the build-up, but the lyrics helped me want to listen to it. The progression truly saved it for me; the overlapping vocals otherwise, the instrumental does not clash with me too greatly. I’d enjoy it if it had more lyrics in this one, and the last minute of the song, I couldn’t get through.

The following song, “Planet,” raised my expectations for the album. There was a sound in the instrumental that I managed to ignore; it is a beautiful instrumental. I love how the lyrics are sung with the melody and how it speeds up and adds a harshness, solidifying the meaning of the lyrics. It is catchy as well.

Then the next three tracks slowly decreased in rating. “Holy Ghost,” the intro was letting me down, but by the middle, it popped off. The vocal change, beat change were amazing, and it’d exist in a playlist where it might get skipped. The “Rabbit,” had this honking in the intro that I found unpleasant. The lyrics are good, I like them more than I like the instrumental. It still doesn’t do it for me. I found “Tides,” one of the worst. The buh-beh! Beh-buh motes threw me off. I can’t enjoy it. I found it mildly nice that the beat picks up, but then the singer doesn’t sound loud enough for me.

The tenth track, “Daisy Chain,” has a lovely title. I like the way the song starts, how the singer is louder, and the lyrics follow the beat way better than I thought they would, and it is pleasant to listen to. Until the organ vocals came into play before the scream, that is a confusing progression before reverting to how it was.

The title “Zombie” alone already had me. I love how the song starts; it scratches the itch in my brain. It had my shoulders moving to the groove. I love this one. “Oh, I’m spacing out,” is sung to perfection. It itched every inch of my music addicted brain. The beat is wonderful and a relatable song.

“Mama Drama” is a song I’d fall asleep to, need a chill song to toss on. The soft lyrical work is pleasant. This is a great song to fall asleep to. It soothes the brain.

The ups and downs of “Crushed,” messed with me in a bad way. It is well-paced, but I don’t think this one personally vibes with me. Objectively, it is not a bad song, but it is not a song for me.

The fourteenth track, “Mute,” is a little funky in the beginning, but it gets much better as it continues on. It is relatable, and I like the concept of this song. You can hear the lyrical emotion in the song. It lures you in, and it is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album.

Finally, “Stupid Boy,” is a larger change in the album. This is giving Riverdale vibes, and I am a big fan. It is a bold song to end with, and I appreciate that aspect. This is another favorite song.

This album (((((ultraSOUND))))) is a wonderful album that I believe all fans will enjoy. Even though my viewpoint isn’t heavily influenced by the words in the lyrics, the vocals, the beats were incredible. Aside from a couple of the songs, but overall for the entire album, this is a bop.

What do you think of (((((ultraSOUND)))))? We want to hear your opinions, so let us know in the comments!