I Love You (stylized as I Love You.) is the debut studio album by American rock band the Neighbourhood, which was released worldwide on April 22, 2013.
Background The tracks on this album expresses a series of angst-ridden themes based on both the vibe and lyrical content of the songs. Bryan Sammis explained to Coup De Main magazine: "I think that at least in terms of the musical aspect of it, all of us try and get our own emotions out through our instruments, which is not always the easiest thing to do. I think for Jesse Rutherford lyrically, what I really like about him and about us as a band is that a lot of his lyrics aren't necessarily pre-ordained, because he's not trying to force it. A lot of his lyrics are off the top of his head when he first hears the song, because that makes it more natural, it's legitimately what he is thinking about and how he is feeling when he hears that song."Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood Song Facts (accessed May 29, 2014)
Critical reception
Reception to I Love You was mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 48, based on 8 reviews. Los Angeles Times critic Mikael Wood wrote that despite the band's mastery of the "textural know-how" of contemporary alternative rock, their songs mostly "stretch out into dreary electro-goth atmospherics" and "lack any kind of urgency". AllMusic editor Tim Sendra found that the album's music rarely deviates from its "ponderous nature", ultimately "leaving the listener with an overall experience that is oppressively grey and joyless". Kat Rolle of Drowned in Sound deemed its lyrics to be "inane" and thematically limited to "California and sex", while panning the band's musical approach as unoriginal and calculated for mass appeal.
In a positive review, Jamie Milton of DIY wrote that the Neighbourhood "stick to the remarkably fully formed mantra they arrived on the scene chanting", concluding that I Love You "achieves what few debuts can, by making one hell of an opening statement". Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian was critical of the album's "petulant" lyrics, which she remarked were "obviously aimed at teenagers", but concluded that its "dreamy melancholy and high-shine production" and "traditional songcraft" may nonetheless appeal to a broader audience. Irish Times critic Jim Carroll remarked that the band's hooky pop songs, such as "Sweather Weather" and "Female Robbery", can be "ravishing", but felt that the album is weighed down by occasional "fillers".
The album track list appears to have undertaken some edits prior to being released publicly, as Kat Rolle commented on the "late-stage change up" of "How", which appears as the album's opening track.
Track listing
Notes
"W.D.Y.W.F.M?" stands for "What Do You Want From Me?"
Personnel All credits for I Love You are adapted from the album's liner notes.
The Neighbourhood Jesse Rutherford – vocals Zach Abels – lead guitar Jeremy Freedman – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Mikey Margott – bass Bryan Sammis – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Technical personnel Justyn Pilbrow – production Emile Haynie – production (except "Sweater Weather" and "A Little Death") Chris Mullings – engineering Craig Silvey – mixing Tony "Jack The Bear" Mantz – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for I Love You Chart (2013–2014) Peakposition + 2022–2026 weekly chart performance for I Love You Chart (2022–2026) Peakposition Norwegian Albums (IFPI Norge) 31 Portuguese Albums (AFP) 168 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 60
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for I Love You Chart (2013) Position US Billboard Alternative Albums 42 US Billboard Rock Albums 53 Chart (2014) Position US Billboard Alternative Albums 24 US Billboard 200 171 US Billboard Rock Albums 36 Chart (2022) Position Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) 17 Chart (2023) Position Polish Albums (ZPAV) 67 Chart (2024) Position Polish Albums (ZPAV) 87
Certifications
References