Nottingham indie band Blondes dream big on ‘Out the Neighbourhood’

Nottingham-based indie band Blondes gained a secure fanbase with the success of their TikTok hit ‘Coming of Age’, which has nearly reached 7 million Spotify streams. Following on from that, they have returned with the fun-loving track ‘Out the Neighbourhood’.

Band members Tom, Will, Dan, Mark and Alex, who recently graduated from the University of Nottingham, express enjoying your youth, escapism and chasing your dreams on the new track. The main hook in the chorus, “just take off your t-shirt, get out the neighbourhood”, links to the motifs of youthful spontaneity and leaving your hometown for something better. 

The track bears similarities with the previous release, ‘Coming of Age’ with its simple, youth-charged yet impactful chorus of “here something really could happen”. Choosing to pursue music straight after graduating, this is a sentiment the band can relate to as they sing “I’m only dreaming with my eyes shut”.

At Nottingham’s ‘Dot To Dot Festival’, Blondes explained their inspiration for the track, which was essentially that the song was inspired by Nottingham’s student nightclub ‘Ocean’, where at a certain point in the night everyone would take their tops off. They explained that having fun and enjoying your youth is extremely important. 

The long, crisp note of "so" sung by lead singer Will in the pre-chorus acts as a crescendo along with the dominating drumroll to build up excitement for the listeners, very much like something you would expect to hear in a gig or at a club. While it settles down in the guitar-focused chorus, this melodic change works extremely well to highlight the band’s manipulation of the indie genre, combining elements of both indie-rock and indie-pop.

 

Defining the track are repeated "ooos” which give the song structure as the experimental and heavy instrumentation is given free reign. Synths can be heard on the closing notes of the song, reminiscent of those used by bands such as Blossoms. 

 

With its youthful message and anthemic energy,‘Out the Neighbourhood’ is a fitting continuation of the band’s musical journey so far. As they continue to break into the indie scene, it’s no doubt that fans are excited for the release of their forthcoming EP on 12^th November.

 

 

Amrit Virdi

@_amritvirdi

@thevinylwriter

Image: ‘Out the Neighbourhood’ Official Single Artwork