{"id":35789,"date":"2025-05-20T14:04:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T13:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/quench\/?p=35789"},"modified":"2025-05-20T14:04:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T13:04:12","slug":"on-the-rise-in-conversation-with-good-neighbours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk\/quench\/music\/on-the-rise-in-conversation-with-good-neighbours\/","title":{"rendered":"On The Rise: In Conversation With Good Neighbours"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Before taking over The Globe in Cardiff with their blue-sky sound, Jenny Algieri sat down with Oli Fox and Scott Verrill of Good Neighbours to talk about how a casual project turned into their breakout moment- and why they\u2019re just getting started.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Both Oli and Scott spoke of their love of music from an early age, having written and released music during their teenage years. Eventually their paths crossed whilst co-writing for other artists, which, while rewarding, began to feel creatively limiting. Looking for a creative outlet, they started making music together with no clear agenda, almost as if they were writing for an unknown artist. \u201cThat artist,\u201d Oli revealed, \u201cturned out to be Good Neighbours all along\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In exploring their sound, the duo wanted feel good music- \u201csomething loud and bright and fun\u201d, particularly after spending time writing more stripped back songs for other artists. They expressed their gratitude in the early sessions of the band and the way that the lack of pressure meant that they could really experiment with their sound with no expectations. They reflected, \u201cI think we were lucky that we weren’t ever hemmed in by the borders with genre\u201d. It was that freedom to experiment that became the foundation of Good Neighbours’ distinctive, nostalgic sound. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That creative freedom also led to \u201cHome,\u201d the breakout track that catapulted Good Neighbours into the spotlight, even though they didn\u2019t see it coming. \u201cWe didn\u2019t even like the song that much,\u201d they laughed. Reflecting on the viral success of \u201cHome\u201d with over 400 million streams on Spotify to date, the duo admitted how it caught them off guard \u2013 \u201cthe song went so big that we were technically smaller than the song\u201d. While grateful for the success, they admitted that keeping up with it hasn\u2019t always been easy. \u201cIt\u2019s always a stressful thing to put yourself physically in every country where the song goes,\u201d they said, acknowledging the pressure that comes with building a global fan base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to their music\u2019s identity, Oli highlighted a lyric from their album that truly captures their outlook: \u201cAs hard as you hate it, it\u2019s a wonderful life\u201d. They explained that this line reflects their mindset of embracing life\u2019s ups and downs, \u201crolling with the punches and zooming out to realise how lucky we are to know who we know, and love who we love\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Good Neighbours at The Globe, Cardiff.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scott spoke of how this year, tour life has played a big part of Good Neighbours. The pair spoke of how they\u2019re both new to tour life and that they\u2019re still learning to balance life on the road especially with early morning starts and late-night sets. \u201cWe\u2019re still figuring it out,\u201d they admitted, \u201cbut having our close friends on the road with us makes a huge difference- it feels like a proper unit\u201d. They also spoke of the difference in touring as a support act to touring as a headliner and the pressure it brings: \u201cWhen you\u2019re a support act, you have to win people over, but headlining means delivering for fans who already expect a certain level\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excitingly, Good Neighbours have just been announced as the support act for Mumford & Sons this summer, which sees them playing at large capacity venues in America. \u201cIt came out of the blue,\u201d they recalled, \u201ca friend played our songs to them at a party, and suddenly we were on the tour\u201d. When asked how the band prepare before stepping out on stage, they joked \u201cwe try to conserve energy before the show because it\u2019s pretty sweaty once we\u2019re on stage\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DIBVhKxAork\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, the duo emphasised how they\u2019re \u201calready so much further ahead than [they] could ever understand\u201d and how they\u2019re taking life as Good Neighbours bit by bit and embracing the unpredictability. With Coachella being on their five-year plan, the duo also emphasised their focus to continue experimenting with their sound in a more electronic way, inspired by bands such as MGMT and Animal Collective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now with a debut album in the works and a growing global audience, it\u2019s clear that this is just the beginning for the duo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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