The Neighbourhood is taking a hiatus

The Neighbourhood, an American rock/dark pop band, shocked the public with their recent announcement of their plan to take a hiatus. The band began in Aug. of 2011 in Newbury Park, California, and has several top Billboard tracks in the United States. In recent years they have been further booming in their popularity. They currently hold, according to Last.fm, 1.6 million listeners, and are continuously growing. Their top tracks include “Sweater Weather”(2013), and “Daddy Issues”(2015). With their announcement of their planned hiatus, we are left with the question of why; the band hasn’t offered us an answer.

When “Sweater Weather” was released, the song was the No.1 song on alt rock charts for several months. It has been not only their top song… but a top song in their fans’ hearts. Their airy, rock-pop style music has reeled in a wide fanbase, and kept the fans drawn in with every new song. The news of their pause is heartbreaking to long term fans, who worry that this could be the end to the band they have long adored.

The  announcement of their hiatus to the public comes from an exclusive interview with Variety, released Feb. 22. “Alternative Rock Band the Neighborhood Is Going on Hiatus (EXCLUSIVE),” by Ellise Shafer and Shirley Halperin breaks the news, and is now covered by numerous other sources. Jesse Rutherford, guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, bassist Mikey Margott, and drummer Brandon Alexander Fried compose the beloved band. Rutherford, lead vocalist, according to Variety’s article, released snippets of presumed solo music in early Feb. Other than this possible hint towards why the band could be taking a break, the public is left in the dark. It’s an exciting idea that fans could receive a more highlighted selection of Rutherford’s own music, and what he could bring to the table on his own. This also strikes concern in the listeners to the band’s future return, and if this hiatus is truly a short break or an indefinite end. Their first album “I’m Sorry…”, popularized their sound. This album was rereleased less than a year later as “I Love You”, with 6 extra tracks. This piece of art is popularized through previously mentioned song “Sweater Weather”, the top track in this album, and growing song “Afraid.” The Neighbourhood’s now more tranquil and focused sound differs in their first album with more of a rock, alternative-pop sound showing through “I Love You.” In between their first and second albums, they released a collection of mixtapes in the album “#000000 & #FFFFFF”. Their second released album, “Wiped Out!” spoke to the listeners. This album has their second most popular track “Daddy Issues”, and underappreciated song “Baby Came Home 2/ Valentine.” Their third album “Hard to Imagine The Neighbourhood ever Changing” features a total of 21 songs, including popular song “Softcore.” Finally, their fourth album “Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones” showcases another piece of unique art that their music showcases. Their newest album “Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones’ ‘, released Sept. 25, 2020, is their fourth studio album and begs the question if this could be their last album as a band. This album hosts 11 songs, including “Cherry Flavored”; a beautiful work of dreamy sounds and vocals. The announcement of their hiatus is shocking, after the success with this album and social media (particularly TikTok, Instagram and Twitter) continuing their popularity. This October, they also released a single named “Fallen Star”, an echoing, addictive song that is added next to their other masterpieces. This single made the announcement of their hiatus further confusing, and leaves fans with some hope that this could truly just be a pause, and that more music will come later. In provoked fear, fans ask the question of what happened. Though they could return, it is popular for bands to announce their end with hiatus. Bands One Direction, Spice Girls, Fifth Harmony, and several others are examples of claiming hiatus and never making a return. The band performed two shows this past October, and since then people assume will cancel all future dates. We hope to see The Neighbourhood return to their throne as soon as possible.