Don't Cry. The Neighbourhood's Coming To You With a Steamy Song

Let us enjoy a song that's ideal for taking in the downtown sights on a cool Friday night. If you take away nothing else from The Neighbourhood's new "Cry Baby" this band has done its job admirably. The cogs in this machine purr handsomely as if they could serve your cruising needs forever and a day. Peeking at the engine I salute the sleek design, specifically Jesse Rutherford's synthesizers and keyboards. He's got commendable vocals too, the sort that makes inhibitions waft away in the night air. You couldn't get to cruising altitude or speed without a firm hand on the throttle and that's where bass player Mikey Margott excels. You can hear the thump loud and proud beneath Jesse's none too thinly veiled seductive voice. Ah yes, there's more to the story than these two players. Even though you can detect Brandon Fried's drums they aren't sprawling over "Cry Baby" and therefore leaving scant room for any of the other talent on display to shine through. Zach Abels lends muscle to the sex appeal cause through well seasoned lead guitar licks that swim about in the brain until they've come to a likable resting place where everybody can fully admire them. Jeremy Freedman's bolsters this song's marketable prospects by dropping rhythm guitar in the most neatly timed places. Don't misunderstand the journey. This isn't meant to be a long, five-course meal. If snacking's your game then "Cry Baby" is one sport you want to get into as soon as possible. This chorus was meant to be appreciated windows rolled down, wind in the hair. The beat's blue jean tight with enough chord variation to keep your ears from wandering too far away from the intended trajectory. I can't make out any minor chords that would drop gloom down in steady doses. That serves the song well. There isn't some Hindenburg heavy dirge mentality applied to leave you emotionally spent. This is high praise indeed for a song called "Cry Baby" that espouses the virtues of crying as a means of venting. That sentiment between boy and girl doesn't come until the tail end but it is very much in evidence. Up front Jesse plays the introspective bravery card. I relate on many levels. He's a bit hard on himself and, at my worst, I can be too. I particularly take to "I spend too much time explainin' myself." If I had a dollar bill for each time I put explanation above inspiration in my daily life I'd have enough money to eat veal and/or steak multiple times a week. And so the psychological bloodletting continues. Jesse also damns himself with "I think I talk too much." "I think I try too hard." Makes you want to prop up Jesse's exhausted soul doesn't it. He does get points for laying it on the line. He needs to be rewarded with a gold medal for gravitas. "Cry Baby" makes good on the vow to spike your core adrenaline until it's running on all cylinders. "Cry Baby" isn't a cry for help. I liken it to a man's quest to seek comfort in his own skin. Not an easy task by any means but admirable in its effort. If this is a neophyte's welcome to The Neighbourhood he's picked the perfect treat to nosh on from the start.