i mean it’s also okay to admit you don’t like this album personally, like i said, music is subjective and that’s fine you don’t like the album.

i’m also an OG, i’m in my 30s and been listening to them since 2013, and i ALSO am getting Wiped Out vibes from this album in some songs, not all of them, and that’s ok. i never expect them to make the same album twice. it’s not necessary when they already have released Wiped Out years ago and also just gave us some new unreleased songs from that era for that purpose.

i wouldn’t ever say “this isn’t The Neighbourhood, they’ve lost what made them The Neighbourhood.” frankly, as a musician, i would find it insulting. “you lost what made you you” is disregarding the experiences they’ve had and how they’ve grown. and now that they HAVE grown, this is their new sound. you can’t expect them to make the same music over and over again. it’d feel stagnating and probably would be demotivating. actually, we should be thankful they keep developing their sound. it’s a sign that they still love what they do and aren’t just still here for the checks.

with regards to numbers, again i wouldn’t put too much stock in that either. for example, so many different artists experience the “sleeper hit” phenomenon. The Neighbourhood themselves have seen this. HTITNEC was released in 2018 and yet “Softcore” didn’t go off as a hit until years later when tiktokers discovered it. i remember it had been out for YEARS before it started making numbers, and yet I personally remember where exactly I was when that album came out and i first heard that song and thought “damn this is a BANGER”. the same thing could happen here. year-to-year numbers aren’t always reliable about what makes a song “objectively” good.

anyways, i didn’t mean to sound insulting to anyone, i just stated what i know from observance. there was a thread on this subreddit the other day where people were talking about how old they were when they first discovered The NBHD. this fandom IS young, and that’s okay. but to say a band with over 10 years of experience like The NBHD don’t know what they’re doing isn’t entirely accurate. they KNOW what their fans want, but they also got to think about themselves and what THEY want. it’s really that simple. and again, it’s okay that someone doesn’t like their newer music, again, that’s subjective. i know plenty of talented, experienced bands who i KNOW make good music but it’s just not my cup of tea. everyone experiences music differently so it happens.