Music, Mood, Muse Volume 1: The Neighborhood

Hey y’all! Welcome to a series I like to call Music, Mood, and Muse. It’s about how music affects my mood, and how that music and it’s artist become muses for my art.

The first artist is one of my favorites. The Neighbourhood, led by Jessie Rutherford, is an American band best known for their mainstream hit Sweater Weather. I began listening to their music in the Fall of 2012 during my first semester of college and haven’t stopped since. I listened while hanging with friends in their dorms, with my sister at their concerts, and at work as I draw floor plans. If my life was turned into a six-season breakout series on Freeform, The Neighbourhood would be featured on every soundtrack.

They have become so influential, that they inspired a special collection. But how do you say?

*Alexa play origin story music*

At the end of 2014, the Neighbourhood released their mixtape #000000 & #FFFFFF. I listened to that along with their subsequent album Wiped Out! on repeat for months (years). At the beginning of the Summer of Shenanigans in 2016, I picked up their aesthetic. After their concert at the Buckhead Theater, The Neighbourhood was fully ingrained in my life and seeped its way into my photography. This aesthetic is black and white better know in its hex code as #000000 and #FFFFFF. Since I was working on my thesis research and working part-time, I had a lot of free time to wander and take photos. 

Here are a few photos from that summer:

In life, I have moments that are perfectly summed up with song lyrics. Here are some of the lyrics that make up pieces of the soundtrack of my life, and the moments captured along with them:

"'Cause it's too cold/ For you here and now /So let me hold/ Both your hands in the holes of my sweater" - The Neighbourhood. I Love You. Columbia Records. 2013

Youtube: https://youtu.be/GCdwKhTtNNw

*I am aware that the song is centered at the beach. The snow is my sand.*

"As long as you notice/ I'm hoping that you'll keep your heart open/ I'll keep mine open too/ If you don't ask, I won't tell/ Just know that, just know that/ It all hurts, it all hurts just the same" - The Neighbourhood. Wiped Out!. Columbia Records. 2015

Youtube: https://youtu.be/2IE3T9mcqyM

“Rest in pieces peace of mind/ Someday we will reunite” - The Neighbourhood. #000000 & #FFFFFF. Columbia Records. 2014

Youtube: https://youtu.be/0YozNoOec7k

“I've got something to confess/ I keep you in my pocket to use /You're my only compass/ I might get lost without you” - The Neighbourhood. The Neighbourhood (Deluxe Edition). Columbia Records. 2018

Youtube: https://youtu.be/j56dEcq7ryo

And with that, I will conclude my first Music, Mood, and Muse. In case you haven’t noticed, my special collection of black and white photography is up on the website! It can be found by clicking the project tab! If you want to listen to more of The Neighbourhood you can find them on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/77SW9BnxLY8rJ0RciFqkHh.

If you're a fan, comment your top five songs below. I am curious...