Neighbourhood (Import)

For a West Coast band, Los Angeles' the Neighbourhood make a distinctly dark brand of pop that's way more overcast than beachy. It's a sound they've been exploring since 2013's I Love You, and one they sink slowly into on their cloudy, synth-heavy third album, 2018's The Neighbourhood. Produced with Lars Stalfors (Cold War Kids, HEALTH, Foster the People), the eponymous album is colored by dimly fluorescent keyboards a la '80s Miami Vice composer Jan Hammer, and pulsing, club-induced claustrophobia that feels very Giorgio Moroder circa 1981. It's easy to imagine the Neighbourhood stumbling out of a screening of Blade Runner 2049 and knowing exactly what they wanted to do here. In that sense, the album feels like both a continuation of past work and a fresh start. The opening "Flowers" is lighter and more sparkly than past songs, allowing lead singer Jesse Rutherford a chance to sing with even more intimacy and nuance. Even when the mood shifts to American Gigolo-level arch sensuality,