Indie-Alternative band Nature's Neighbor was formed in 2010 by Mike Walker, Daniel Lee (You Folk), and Mike Nardone while they completed their studies at Columbia College Chicago and were all living in Lincoln Park under the same roof.
In the fall of that year, they began writing and recording songs at home for their debut album, You Me And The People, which took about 13 months to produce before its release in November of 2011. By that time, the group had all moved out of the Lincoln Park house and were living in separate parts of Illinois. This, combined with the ability to use the internet as a meeting ground for their ideas and contributions, made them rethink the notion of Nature's Neighbor being more of a collective rather than a standard band with fixed members.
Casting out a teaser of what’s in store for their forthcoming album ‘Otherside,’ Nature’s Neighbor has us fully immersed in the intimate setting sprawled throughout “Perch Privileges.” Weaving between their adaptations towards indulgent elements in the musicality they explore, the resonance of this single has us swaying to the infectious grooves that they brilliantly provide us.
We’re blown away by the versatility Nature’s Neighbors emit as they capture an elusive soundscape trickling from the speakers in a delicate yet prevalent manner. Honing in on an Indie-Pop sound, the way each musical component chimes brightly with the reverberated echoes of the main vocal is uncanny. Written during the heat of the pandemic, “Perch Privileges,” was birthed during a time of mass hysteria.
The gentle delivery of the lyrical content radiated would have you think that this song was buoyant in a blissful utopia that feeds on everything optimistic, however upon further inspection the words that surface reflect on the pandemic mentality encountered by the world when paranoia and hysteria seep into the insanity brought to life.
Providing their listeners with a profound exploration of robust offerings, what’s exposed by Nature’s Neighbors vulnerability has us on the hook of their luscious realism that needs no sugar coating.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Nature’s Neighbor. We’re loving the teaser of “Perch Privileges.” Taking such a unique approach to addressing this subject, what encouraged you to take the route of a softer R&B side in the instrumentation?
It was not a conscious decision to change our sound. We like top meander all over the place when it comes to our sound so this softer R&B sound is just something we randomly stumbled upon.
What prompted you to make “Perch Privileges,” the lead single from the album?
I think we chose this song to be the lead single because it was the catchiest song on the album but also because it somehow seemed to effortlessly sum up the vibe of the album in under three minutes. For a second we even considered calling the album Perch Privileges.
Could you please share what the creative process looked like when bringing this song to life during the pandemic? My bandmate Terrill Mast and I would email the trackback and forth until the song was finished. He started the track off when he sent over the keyboard part and drum loop. After hearing that little fragment I immediately became inspired to sing on it. So I wrote and recorded the two verses in about 5 minutes and sent them over to him. It's always exhilarating when you receive an email with updated parts because sometimes the other would do something you never expected. That is what makes long-distance writing so enjoyable. Is this a reflection of what’s to come in your forthcoming album, ‘Otherside?' What can you tell us about what we have in store? This song is very representative of the album in a lyrical sense but in terms of the sound of the album, I think this track is more of a one-off. The album is very eclectic and combines many different styles while still remaining cohesive. We really tried to pull out all the stops on this album and parts of it are very multilayered. Some songs have up to 70 tracks. It is a very dense album that rewards repeated listening. There are also a few easter eggs in the album if you pay close attention to the lyrics.