Artist Profile: Neighbourly

Neighbourly, the enigmatic four-piece band based in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, has operated, in various forms, for nearly a decade on the strength of their pure, collaborative approach to creation, and, with their upcoming EP “Get In”, they have added another genre-rooted gem to their growing collection.

The band, which is comprised of guitarist/vocalist Ollie Sandberg, guitarist/vocalist Latham Reader, percussionist Scott Sparrow, and bassist/vocalist Lauren Giorgio, originally began as SPEAK EASY in 2016 as a three-piece outfit, releasing two EPs and a 2020 album entitled Rainbow River.

Around the time of the release of that album, the band had started to gain a following in their region and were planning a tour across Canada. However, these plans were disrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic: a development that ultimately spawned Neighbourly in its current form.

In the wake of that album, Reader joined the band after meeting the trio in Victoria and spending numerous jam sessions with them. As a result, they felt the need to re-brand in order to encapsulate the new sound and approach they had developed as the band had changed form.

While Sandberg did most of the song-writing on Rainbow River, an influx of ideas from other members of the band created a more intensely collaborative environment as they worked on their first record as Neighbourly. In fact, the band instituted a working rule; each member could write two songs for the record, and whichever member brought forth the idea for the song had final say on its sound and direction. 

“What Neighbourly is, it’s like, your next door neighbour might be completely different from you, but you're living next to them,” said Sandberg, “So you’ve got to kind of have some level of collaboration and community effort to make sure that you can live in harmony. So I think we're kind of playing with that idea of being Neighbourly and whatnot.”

With each member bringing their own diverse and eclectic tastes to the group, this approach resulted in a wide-spanning, sonically-intriguing debut that explored the breadth of the group’s potential musical pathways. 

Yet, with the two EPs they have released since, they have, relatively, honed in on one singular genre or sound, utilizing the same collaborative mindset and process to leave the short track-lists with a distinct imprint from each member of the band.

“Outside 311”, a post-punk, new-wave inspired project, delves into the darker sonic roots of various members of the band, capitalizing upon the unique rhythmical wanderings of drummer Scott Sparrow.

“Alla Discoteca”, an Italian disco-driven project, was spear-headed in its production and arrangement by Sandberg and Reader, but all of the vocals were done by Giorgio, who speaks Italian.

Now, with their newest EP, “Get In”, being released on July 2nd, the group has taken another step into genre-agnosticism, evolving their sound from “Outside 311” into a stranger, more experimental effort.

“We kind of say it's part two of Outside 3.11, because it's got that post-punk vibe to it…” said Sandberg, “It kind of took shape a bit more experimentally, compared to “Outside 311”. We supported a band last year called Gustaf. We were inspired by their sound and how weird they can get at times, especially with the writing. I think that we just wanted to go a bit further into the weird with this one.”

The two singles for the project demonstrate this point aptly. “Lofi”, with its up-beat motifs and Spanish lyrics, and “Thread Count”, with its frigid riffs and hushed vocals, serve to showcase both the range and the complexity of the project’s sonic thrust.

Now, as the band builds up toward their EP, and another album to be released next year, their collaborative mindset has paid massive dividends, unleashing the creative potential and intellect of each member in turn.