As jangle-pop goes, Neighborly aren’t bad. Rather than taking the obnoxious, insensitive route, Grass Is Greener does have some charm and sweetness to it. Unfortunately, it’s mostly ineffectual music. Neighborly do not manage to say anything new or different, and while Grass Is Greener has a certain amount of pleasantness about it, it’s hardly worth the effort to care.

Neighborly’s pop-punk-meets-melody blend of music is catchy and enjoyable, although this enjoyment doesn’t go much deeper than the surface. While frontman Tom Ackerman brings a kindhearted thoughtfulness to his music, it’s mostly lost in uninspired compositions. Neighborly is not trying to deceive listeners or pretend to be better than they are, but their honesty almost isn’t an asset. Grass Is Greener sounds, sadly, like everything else of this sort.

Ackerman’s voice is so open and heartfelt that it’s not hard to wish he was making better music. Slightly cautious and unsure, Ackerman definitely carries Neighborly. Far from over-earnestness, his voice has a certain quality that makes you want to believe in him and listen to him.

Although what he has to say doesn’t really hold up, he keeps Grass Is Greener from being a complete waste.

Lyrically, the songs do show some promise, taking on traditional rock topics from new perspectives. “By the Way” takes the listener through several tales of partying before Ackerman reveals, “I walked home and found out I am old now”. The realization that he can’t stay a teenager forever seems to permeate most of Grass Is Greener. The struggle to deal with adulthood is an interesting one, especially in light of the band’s slightly adolescent sound. While Neighborly do approach the subject, they seem unsure about what to do with it and ultimately fail to bring much insight.

As many good points as Grass Is Greener has, or even attempts to have, it all blurs together, with too many songs that fall neatly into the formulas of drum pounding and guitar clattering. The music feels too generic to be interesting and it’s not that Neighborly are trying to fit it into the standard. They just don’t seem capable of doing anything more than what they are doing.

Neighborly get points for making a good attempt with Grass Is Greener but their music isn’t really anything that stands out from the ordinary.

It’s amiable pop-rock and nothing more.