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The Neighbourhood Return with “Leather Weather” – A Decade Later, Still Perfecting the Melancholy

The Neighbourhood prove they haven't lost their touch with this moody companion piece to their 2013 breakthrough
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The Neighbourhood Return with "Leather Weather" – A Decade Later, Still Perfecting the Melancholy

It’s wild to think “Sweater Weather” dropped over a decade ago. That track became the unofficial anthem for every moody teenager with a Tumblr account, and honestly, it still slaps.

Now, The Neighbourhood have circled back with “Leather Weather” – and it’s like they’ve been frozen in the same beautiful, atmospheric bubble they created all those years ago.

Released on 31st October 2025 as part of the Wiped Out! (10th Anniversary Edition), “Leather Weather” feels less like a nostalgic cash-grab and more like the band reminding us why we fell for them in the first place. The track sits as number 12 on the reissue, produced by Justyn Pilbrow, Jono Dorr, and 4e.

The Return Nobody Saw Coming (But Everyone Hoped For)

The Neighbourhood went on indefinite hiatus in February 2022, citing mental health reasons. For three years, fans circulated rumours and held onto hope whilst frontman Jesse Rutherford pursued solo work.

Then, cryptic social media posts started appearing – deleted Instagram posts about new merch, TikTok videos of the band tuning instruments, profile pictures changing to static.

The speculation proved correct when the band announced their reunion in summer 2025, surprising fans at pop-up events in East Hollywood where they teased unreleased material.

According to The Honey POP, longtime fans are treating the return as “a reunion, an ode to our teenage self.” Those who grew up with Wiped Out! in 2015 are now experiencing the anniversary edition with a mix of nostalgia and genuine excitement that the band’s aesthetic still resonates.

The Sound: Familiar Territory, Executed Brilliantly

If “Sweater Weather” was the soundtrack to autumn walks and existential crises, “Leather Weather” is its slightly worn-in, road-tested sibling.

The production wraps around you like – well, like a leather jacket on a cold night. It’s got that same dreamlike quality, where Jesse Rutherford’s vocals drift over subdued instrumentation that somehow manages to be both stripped-back and rich.

The guitar work is minimal but effective, leaving space for Rutherford’s voice to do the heavy lifting. There’s this gorgeous restraint throughout – nothing’s overdone, nothing’s screaming for attention.

It just sits in that pocket The Neighbourhood have always owned: too dark for pure pop, too accessible for pure alternative.

What’s It Actually About?

The song reads like a travelogue of fleeting connections and perpetual restlessness. Rutherford name-drops Detroit, Montreal, Amsterdam – painting himself as someone constantly moving, meeting people he’ll never remember, feeling simultaneously everywhere and nowhere.

The jacket metaphor runs through the whole thing. Where “Sweater Weather” was about intimacy and comfort, this leather jacket becomes a shield, a piece of armour. “You see a jacket, I see a shield” – it’s protection and identity rolled into one.

The narrator’s offering this jacket to someone left behind, a stand-in for his physical presence when he’s off chasing whatever comes next.

There’s this thread about exhaustion woven throughout. “I gotta admit I been runnin’ on empty / I’ll just keep going ’til there’s nothin’ left” – it’s the touring life, the creative grind, maybe just being in your twenties and thinking you can outrun your problems. It hits hard!

The Lyrics: Grown-Up Melancholy

What works here is that The Neighbourhood aren’t trying to recapture their youth – they’re processing what’s happened since.

The references to “La-La-Land” (Los Angeles) and the realities of the music industry give it weight. This isn’t teenage angst; it’s adult weariness dressed up in the same aesthetic.

The pre-chorus sections are where it gets properly affecting: “I mean it when I say that I wish I could [remember] / My head’s in outer space now, higher than ever / Can’t wait to get back to my neighborhood.”

There’s this longing for home, for groundedness, even whilst acknowledging the thrill of escape. It’s messy and human and relatable.

The Anniversary Edition Context

The Wiped Out! (10th Anniversary Edition) includes 11 additional tracks beyond the original album – demos, memos, and remixes that offer a behind-the-scenes look at the 2015 sessions.

Just Jared reports the release comes with a limited run of 1,000 hand-numbered, coloured vinyl copies available at their East Hollywood pop-up, with a wider black vinyl release scheduled for 30th January 2026.

For fans who’ve been waiting since 2022, this isn’t just an anniversary release – it’s confirmation that the band still believes in what they created together.

Does It Hold Up?

Look, The Neighbourhood have always split opinion. Some people find their whole vibe a bit too studied, too calculated in its moodiness.

But if you’re already in their corner, “Leather Weather” delivers exactly what you want. It’s that same soothing quality – Rutherford’s voice still has that distinctive plaintive tone that made them stand out in 2013.

The hook is undeniably catchy. “Put on my jacket when you get scared / When you get cold, when I’m not there to hold ya” – it’s simple, it’s direct, and it’ll be stuck in your head for days. Whether that’s genius or just effective pop songwriting is up for debate, but it works.

The Verdict

“Leather Weather” isn’t reinventing anything, and that’s fine. Twelve years later, The Neighbourhood are still doing what they do best: creating atmospheric, emotionally charged tracks that live somewhere between late-night drives and early-morning regrets.

The production is clean without being sterile, the lyrics are specific enough to feel genuine without being impenetrable, and crucially, it feels like it matters to them.

For fans who’ve grown up alongside the band, this track offers something comfortable yet substantial – proof that some sounds don’t need to evolve dramatically to stay relevant.

They’ve found their lane and they’re sticking to it, which takes more confidence than constantly chasing trends.

In a music landscape that’s often exhaustingly hyperactive, there’s something refreshing about a band that still believes in mood, atmosphere, and letting songs breathe.

“Leather Weather” might not convert any sceptics, but for those who get it, it’s a welcome reminder that The Neighbourhood never really left – they’ve just been waiting for the right moment to remind us they’re still here.

“Leather Weather” is available now via Columbia Records as part of Wiped Out! (10th Anniversary Edition)

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