I Love You (The Neighbourhood album)

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.^[8]

I Love You.
Studio album by the Neighbourhood
Released	April 22, 2013
Recorded	2011–2012
Genre	Indie rock electropop^[1]
Length	45:46
Label	Columbia
Producer	Justyn Pilbrow Emile Haynie
The Neighbourhood chronology
Thank You, (2012) I Love You. (2013) The Love Collection (2013)
Singles from I Love You.
"Female Robbery" Released: October 8, 2012^[2]^[3] "Sweater Weather" Released: December 3, 2012^[4] "Let It Go" Released: January 14, 2013^[5]^[6] "Afraid" Released: July 23, 2013^[7]

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."^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	5.3/10^[10]
Metacritic	48/100^[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
DIY	7/10^[12]
Drowned in Sound	3/10^[13]
Financial Times	^[14]
The Guardian	^[15]
The Irish Times	^[16]
Los Angeles Times	^[17]
MusicOMH	^[18]
PopMatters	5/10^[19]
Q	^[20]

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.^[11] 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".^[17] 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".^[1] 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.^[13]

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".^[12] 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.^[15] 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".^[16]

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.^[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jesse Rutherford, Zach Abels, Jeremy Freedman, Emile Haynie, Michael Margott, and Bryan Sammis, except where noted. All tracks are produced by Justyn Pilbrow and Emile Haynie, except where noted

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"How"			5:14
2.	"Afraid"			4:11
3.	"Everybody's Watching Me (Uh Oh)"			3:58
4.	"Sweater Weather"	Rutherford Abels Freedman	Pilbrow	3:56
5.	"Let It Go"			3:17
6.	"Alleyways"			4:27
7.	"W.D.Y.W.F.M?"			4:19
8.	"Flawless"			4:06
9.	"Female Robbery"	Rutherford Abels Freedman	Pilbrow Haynie	3:29
10.	"Staying Up"			4:28
11.	"Float"			4:21
Total length:				45:50

UK digital edition^[21]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"How"	Jesse Rutherford Zach Abels Jeremy Freedman Emile Haynie Bryan Sammis	Justyn Pilbrow Haynie	5:14
2.	"Afraid"	Rutherford Abels Freedman Haynie Sammis	Pilbrow Haynie	4:11
3.	"Everybody's Watching Me (Uh Oh)"	Rutherford Abels Freedman Haynie	Pilbrow Haynie	3:58
4.	"Sweater Weather"	Rutherford Abels Freedman	Pilbrow	4:00
5.	"Let It Go"	Rutherford Abels Freedman Haynie Michael Margott	Pilbrow Haynie	3:17
6.	"Alleyways"	Rutherford Abels Freedman Haynie Margott Sammis	Pilbrow Haynie	4:27
7.	"W.D.Y.W.F.M?"	Rutherford Abels Freedman Haynie Margott Sammis	Pilbrow Haynie	4:19
8.	"Flawless"	Rutherford Abels Freedman Haynie Margott Sammis	Pilbrow Haynie	4:06
9.	"Female Robbery"	Rutherford Abels Freedman	Pilbrow Haynie	3:29
10.	"Staying Up"	Rutherford Abels Freedman Haynie Margott Sammis	Pilbrow Haynie	4:28
11.	"A Little Death"	Rutherford Abels Freedman Pilbrow Margott Sammis	Pilbrow	3:29
12.	"Float"	Rutherford Abels Freedman Haynie Margott Sammis	Pilbrow Haynie	4:21
Total length:				49:19

Personnel

The Neighbourhood

• Zach Abels – lead guitar
• Jeremy Freedman – rhythm guitar
• Mikey Margott – bass guitar
• Jesse Rutherford – vocals
• Bryan Sammis – drums, percussion

Technical personnel

• Emile Haynie – producer
• Tony Mantz – mastering
• Chris Mullings – engineering
• Justyn Pilbrow – production
• Craig Silvey – mixing

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for I Love You Chart (2013–2014) Peak position Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[22] 20 US Billboard 200^[23] 25 US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)^[24] 5 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[25] 6 2022–2023 weekly chart performance for I Love You Chart (2022–2023) Peak position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[26] 58 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[27] 44 Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[28] 33

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for I Love You Chart (2013) Position US Billboard Alternative Albums^[29] 42 US Billboard Rock Albums^[30] 53 Chart (2014) Position US Billboard Alternative Albums^[31] 24 US Billboard 200^[32] 171 US Billboard Rock Albums^[33] 36 Chart (2022) Position Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)^[34] 17 Chart (2023) Position Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[35] 67

Certifications

Certifications for I Love You

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)^[36]	2× Platinum	80,000^‡
Canada (Music Canada)^[37]	Platinum	80,000^‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[38]	Gold	10,000^‡
Poland (ZPAV)^[39]	Platinum	20,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)^[40]	Gold	100,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[41]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Sendra, Tim. "I Love You – The Neighbourhood". AllMusic. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
2. Lane, Dan (October 8, 2012). "This week's new releases 08-10-2012". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
3. "Female Robbery – Single by The Neighbourhood". iTunes Store (GB). Apple. 19 April 2013. from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
4. . FMQB. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
5. Lane, Dan (January 14, 2013). "This week's new releases 14-01-2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
6. . All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
7. . All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
8. "The Neighbourhood announce details of debut album, I Love You". Gigwise. March 5, 2013. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
9. Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood Song Facts (accessed May 29, 2014)
10. "I Love You by The Neighbourhood reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
11. "Reviews for I Love You by The Neighbourhood". Metacritic. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
12. Milton, Jamie (April 22, 2013). . DIY. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
13. Rolle, Kat (April 19, 2013). . Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
14. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (April 27, 2013). "The Neighbourhood: I Love You". Financial Times. London. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
15. Sullivan, Caroline (April 18, 2013). "The Neighbourhood: I Love You – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
16. Carroll, Jim (May 10, 2013). "The Neighbourhood: I Love You". The Irish Times. Dublin. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
17. Wood, Mikael (April 24, 2013). "Album review: The Neighbourhood's I Love You". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
18. Raymond, Max (April 16, 2013). "The Neighbourhood – I Love You". MusicOMH. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
19. Faulkner, Brent (June 25, 2013). "The Neighbourhood: I Love You". PopMatters. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
20. "The Neighbourhood: I Love You". Q (323): 103. June 2013.
21. I Love You. on iTunes
22. "The Neighbourhood Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
23. "The Neighbourhood Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
24. "The Neighbourhood Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard.
25. "The Neighbourhood Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
26. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Neighbourhood – I Love You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
27. "Albumit 2/2022" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
28. "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 06.10.2023–12.10.2023 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved October 19, 2023.
29. "Alternative Albums: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
30. "2013 Year End Charts - Top Billboard Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
31. "Alternative Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
32. "2014 Year End Charts - Top Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
33. "2014 Year End Charts - Top Billboard Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
34. "2022 metų klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
35. "Top 100 | OLiS – albumy | 2023" (PDF) (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
36. "Brazilian album certifications – The Neighbourhood – I Love You" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
37. "Canadian album certifications – The Neighbourhood – I Love You". Music Canada. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
38. "Danish album certifications – The Neighbourhood – I Love You". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
39. "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 21, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter I Love You in the search box.
40. "British album certifications – The Neighbourhood – I Love You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
41. "American album certifications – The Neighbourhood – I Love You". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 23, 2020.