Your Friendly Neighborhood - Your Friendly Neighborhood

Your Friendly Neighborhood

Your Friendly Neighborhood
self-released; 2015

3.7 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The self-titled Your Friendly Neighborhood (Demo) from Your Friendly Neighborhood has the production and recording quality of a refined demo but the songs certainly don’t feel like that. The three-piece band comprised of Caleb Killian, Ben Meyer and Sebastian Meyer are off to a very promising start with the four songs they present to us.

I was impressed by the exceptional vocal performance and their ability to show restraint and general creativity throughout. The band has said they take inspiration from Bon Iver, The War on Drugs and My Bloody Valentine which isn’t overt but it does makes sense. I also heard tinges of bands like Twin Shadow, The Chromatics and James Blake. 

The EP kicks off with “Backroads” which does have a vibe of The War on Drugs but also a band like Explosions in the Sky and even Sigur Ros. From the beginning to the end the sound covers you in melancholy, solace and a bit of hope, a powerful combination if done right which they do. The song gets more intense as it progresses but doesn’t go overboard in a post-rock way. “Backroads” also benefits from poignant lyrics such as “but how long till I’m gone” and “I don’t want to lose my mind.”

One integral part of being a band is being able to make aesthetic choices. The members do a great job on “Overflow” by combining a warm organ, reverb-laced vocals and electronic sound percussion elements. The vocal melody is memorable and emotionally resonant. “Fall in Line” is another testament to the band's ability while the closer “Hello Mire” is ‘80s synth -inspired song that would have worked well in the movie Drive. 

At the end of the day the band goes four for four with these songs and I will say I wouldn’t be surprised to hear their name a lot more often if they continue to keep the writing this good . The only thing I hope they are able to do is get a boost in the recording quality department. This is the type of music that begs for high fidelity and if they can make that happen they may be inching closer into the same sphere as some of their influences.

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