We’ve all had one. Be they curtain twitchers, late night speedo wearers, overly familiar single men, leery weirdos who can’t stop staring or any other variation, every street has its own unwanted Creepy Neighbour. Thanks to sometime Groove Armada and Roots Manuva bassist, Max Taylor and his collective of like minded musical souls, there is now a Creepy Neighbour we’re happy to have in our life.
With just three tracks scattered across the internet so far, pickings are a little slim but all the signs are there that the Creepy Neighbour journey is going to be a lot of fun. How many other fledgling bands can you think of with celebrity friends like Phillip Schofield and Lily Allen just three songs in?
Specialising in a hybrid indie-pop-electro-prog sound and songs about fitting in and standing out, Creepy Neighbour has the potential to be your new favourite band.
The sublimely dreamy “Millionaire Spaceman” is an anthem for Xennials. A heady mixture of unattainable dreams and grounded work ethic set to a gorgeously marbled soundscapes, piercing synthy noodles and a headswirlingly mesmeric melody. Taylor’s near falsetto floats and drifts like bubbles in a lava lamp, settling perfectly against the soft tide of guitars, synths and rhythm. “Break A Leg” meanwhile is a joyful tumble across a drum kit layered with an infectious playground-game-like rhyme, all bouncy, innocent and skippy in its tone.
Latest single “A Really Bad Person’ sees the band, made up of Harry Bennett (drums) Curtis Stansfield (synths) Sam Ryan (Guitar) alongside Taylor, veer off into a softer, more downtempo direction. From its Breeders evoking guitar intro to its ethereal and gossamer melody, the whole thing is a gentle swoon of a song with a subtle, life affirming message.
”“A Really Bad Person” they explain ”is about living a life not comfortable with one’s own sexual desires and needs, it’s about owning your own freak and understanding that it’s actually completely and totally fine. Embrace your freak, enjoy it”.
A soft, ebbing freak embracing anthem with Van Gogh like synth swirls? That’s a sound and aesthetic we can get behind and one we are delighted to be including in the Alphabet Bands Class of 2018.
Creepy Neighbour are playing at the Norwich Arts Centre on 10 Feb, supporting Birds of Hell and tickets are available to buy here. You can get wonderful Creepy Neighbour music from Bandcamp.
Alphabet Bands 
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