Good Neighbours

Good Neighbours sit down with 1883 Magazine to discuss their debut EP, the crazy year they've had, and more.

Before coming together as Good Neighbours, Oli Fox and Scott Verrill were carving their own paths as solo artists. Their individual experiences shaped the foundation of what would become their unique collaboration, a project defined by creative freedom and a fresh approach to making music. Unlike their previous ventures, where external voices often clouded their artistic vision, Good Neighbours is a space where the duo can fully express themselves, free from outside influence. The result is a raw, unfiltered sound that stands in stark contrast to their earlier work.

From the moment they sent out their first SoundCloud link—intended as a joke—major labels were quick to notice. What started as a playful move turned into a surreal moment, with industry insiders reaching out within hours. Their breakout single “Home” soon went viral on TikTok, catapulting the band into the spotlight. Despite the sudden success, they’ve stayed true to their DIY roots, recording with whatever tools are available—whether that’s an iPhone or a high-end studio mic—infusing their tracks with an authentic, handmade quality that resonates with listeners.

Their music captures the essence of the ‘coming of age’ experience, blending nostalgic, bittersweet emotions with an uplifting sound. Drawing inspiration from A24 films and their personal journeys, Good Neighbours has carved out a space where they can explore themes of growth, self-discovery, and vulnerability. With a whirlwind year of EP releases, festival performances, and late-night TV debuts, the band’s journey is only just beginning.

1883 Magazine sits down with Good Neighbours to discuss their self-titled debut EP, going viral on TikTok, performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live and more.

Before Good Neighbours, both of you had solo careers. How did your experiences as individual artists shape what you bring to this project, and what makes Good Neighbours different from your previous ventures?

This is definitely the first time we’ve both made something with no external input whatsoever – we both had really similar paths in our solo projects and got to the point where there were way too many cooks in the kitchen and we lost our vision.

To be honest the best thing about this time round was the fact we had no intention to even start the band and it’s all been centered around the music. 

You sent out your first email with a SoundCloud link as a bit of a joke, and within hours, major labels were reaching out. What was going through your minds at that moment? Did it feel like a surreal moment?

Yeah it was super gratifying for people to react so passionately purely from hearing the music. We found a couple emails from LinkedIn for our favourite labels and sent an obnoxious email with the songs. People in the music industry LOVE to know about things before anyone else, so it was just a fun bit for us to disguise it as this totally new project when actually we had crossed paths with most of these people before… people couldn’t figure out if we were like 16 or 40.

Your song “Home” blew up on TikTok and became a massive viral hit. How did you handle the pressure that came with that sudden success, and how did it impact the way you approached creating music afterward?

Luckily we weren’t making music with any goal in mind and first, we were just writing for the sake of fun and trying to be a bit naive again, so before we had even begun writing Home there were a string of songs we made that all felt super cohesive. For us home is like an anomaly that’s helped to kick everything off – we don’t want to force stuff to fit with it and are just trying to stick to writing whatever feels new and fresh. 

The DIY approach you’ve taken with the EP is refreshing. Can you share some of the unconventional methods you used to record tracks, like recording drum parts through iPhones, and how this adds to your overall sound?

The whole recording process for us is like bottling up the energy and excitement as fast as we can, instead of thinking about it technically. So we just record with whatever is within an arm’s reach – most of the time it’s our phone and we airdrop parts in, or if we’re in a room with a big fancy mic we’ll use it just cos it’s what’s available. I think you can definitely hear that there are two humans hitting stuff and shouting in a small room in most of our songs, which is cool. 

You describe your sound as capturing the ‘coming of age’ feeling. How do you go about creating that emotion in your music, and how do your personal experiences play into the songwriting?

Staying completely honest and raw in the lyrics gives our songs a nice edge to them. We love mirroring this in our recording process by not over thinking anything and being quite brash and fast with how we work.

It’s been a big year for Good Neighbours, with your EP release and performing on major stages. What has been the most rewarding or surreal moment of this journey so far?

It’s all moved so insanely fast that it’s hard to soak it in – we’re working on that… I think because we slogged away in our previous projects for so long, everything this time round feels like a win and we are way more grateful for it. Some of the festival stages like the Radio One Tent at Reading have been the most surreal because those are the ones we dreamed of playing  as teenagers. 

You performed on American late-night TV for the first time on Jimmy Kimmel. What was that experience like? Any fun or memorable backstage moments you can share?

Again, that one was like a blur – none of us knew what to expect but it was amazing. Jimmy was like a super friendly waxwork. The whole thing felt super Hollywood, it was wild. 

Your music has a nostalgic, bittersweet vibe with a touch of darkness in the lyrics despite the uplifting choruses. How do you balance these contrasting emotions in your songwriting?

The blue sky mentality. It’s been a motto of ours when writing. I think it’s stemmed from our hometowns, that aren’t the most beautiful places to look at but when the sun is out it’s a wonderful place to be. So we try and treat the subject matter like that; taking any topics like depression or anxiety and putting them in an uplifting production that kinda opens the conversation up to the audience.

You’ve cited A24 films and coming-of-age movies as big inspirations for your creative process. Can you talk about how these visuals influence the way you shape your music?

Similar to the writing side of things, the A24 films have a way of painting the mundane in a really beautiful way. We’ve always found those films super inspiring, they seem to give situations that are quite commonplace, a new context.

Looking back at your early days in the industry and the challenges you faced, what lessons did you take from those experiences that guide you now with Good Neighbours? 

When we first started out in the industry I think it was easier and safer to say yes to others opinions because we thought they knew best. With this project, it’s been us and only us from day one. So we’ve been free of opinions in the creative process which I think has really benefited us and I believe that’s why people are truly buying into the message the project is putting out.

Good Neighbours’ debut EP is out now.

Follow Good Neighbours @wearegoodneighbours

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