Alternative rock band The Neighbourhood, commonly known for its 2013 hit song “Sweater Weather,” released its first single of 2019, “Middle of Somewhere,” after announcing its release three days prior. 

The release comes after the band’s latest album in November, titled “Hard to Imagine the Neighbourhood Ever Changing.” The album evoked some mixed feelings from fans of the group. Some listened with satisfaction, and others felt a little offended because their sound certainly changed from past recordings. 

The Neighbourhood’s tour, also called “Middle of Somewhere,” begins Oct. 11, according to Variance. The tour was announced on April 29, long before the single’s announcement. 

Both the band and record label made no reference to the single, “and the internet bread crumbs at this writing has been limited,” according to Johnny from Radio 104.5, Philadelphia’s alternative rock station. 

While its meaning remains unclear, the song is important to lead singer Jesse Rutherford due to his massive involement in the track. 

In one of his Instagram posts, dated two days after the release of the single, he stares at the camera while painted silver with body glitter accents. 

The picture was taken on the set of the music video for “Middle of Somewhere.” 

Rutherford captioned it, “I have to do whatever it takes to make [this song] shine as bright as possible.” 

The single features acoustics accompanied by Rutherford’s singular vulnerable voice, which sounds different compared to the usual alternative rock sound. 

The song starts with, “I was on the outside looking in/ Now I’m on the inside/ Tryna stay out of my head/ I need a peace of mind,” as Rutherford, in his shiny, extraterrestrial-esque attire, stands alone in the middle of a hill pasture while the camera zooms away until he becomes a speck in the distance. 

The music video has a vintage feel, creating a scene far from this current moment in time. While attaining a visual representation of feeling alienated and disconnected with earthlings, Rutherford sings, “Now I’m somewhere far away from where I started/ With no point of return, but I’m turning.”

Skip to verse two, “Always running away/ Looking for an escape/ Everyone is an alien/ When you’re trying to find your place,” as the camera shakily zooms into Rutherford playing guitar on the edge of a building, then transitions to a close up of his glittering eye makeup and his silver teeth.  

While the concept for this single certainly shined through, what could follow, such as an album, does not. Though Radio 104.5 Philadelphia’s alternative rock station has speculated it could be a follow-up to their previous album, a movie or just a one-off release. It could also pave the way for an upcoming album in the works, considering their 2019 tour shares the same name as the single.