Local the Neighbour is the pseudonym for David Quested. The burgeoning singer-songwriter is just as likely to be found slinging an acoustic guitar across his chest as a steel broadsword over his shoulder.   

His career thus far has been defined by exploration, from his native Darwin, overseas music studies, to his current home in Melbourne. However, his journey isn’t exclusive to state lines and countries. Initially playing jazz drums, Local the Neighbour put down the sticks to pick up a six-string, following in the footsteps of his heroes like Alex G and MJ Lenderman. 

In early 2026, Local the Neighbour released his latest EP, ‘Sword’. Over six tracks, Local the Neighbour harnesses his brand of fuzzy alt-rock as a vehicle for stories of self-doubt and introspection. On lead singles, ‘Preacher’ and ‘Hard’, he mulls over whether he chose the right life path and just whose lead he is following. Listening to any of his tracks, you’ll toss your sweaty head back and forth while holstering your chin in thoughtful meditation. Whether it’s through his music or claymore, Local the Neighbour is always aiming for the head.

Firstly, congrats on the ‘Sword’ EP launch a week and a bit ago! How did it feel celebrating and playing all the tracks live? 

Thanks! It was amazing, I had a great time. I’ve done a lot of support shows recently so it was really special to play to my own crowd and see all the people singing the songs. Definitely a night I’ll remember fondly. I honestly love playing live music too, it rules.

Taking it all the way back, you grew up in Queensland before moving to Darwin. At what point did you begin to fall into music? 

Since I was super young, I was always intrigued by music. Whether it was seeing the musicians at the lion dance celebrations (I always wanted to be one of the drummers in those groups), to growing up in church and hearing music there. It’s always been something I loved, but I was never able to start playing an instrument until I was close to being a teenager. Once I started playing an instrument it was all kind of game over for anything else I was interested in haha.

Your entry into initially learning jazz drumming at the Victorian College of Arts and later moving abroad to study jazz at UCLA. What first drew you to jazz? What do you remember during that period?

Honestly growing up in Darwin there isn’t much opportunity to go and study different things, there’s essentially only one university there offering a limited range of courses. My social circle in high school all wanted to move away to Melbourne, so I had the same desire to leave. It’s honestly just a small town, so this is very common! I knew I wanted to study drums but the only way to do that was through a jazz degree (as classical music would be on orchestral percussion), so I made a point of learning jazz to get into a course. At the time my favourite drummer was Travis Barker, and he is known to have come from a jazz background too, so the idea of learning jazz seemed very cool to me. Once I got into the course I became really obsessed with it.

What inspired your self-proclaimed “jexit”? Was there a clear point where Local the Neighbour was born?

I was in New York for a month learning from many of my jazz heroes. I really started to see the lifestyle and ethos of these musicians and what made them so great. What I realised was how laser focused they were on their instrument and the artform. I kind of felt like if I really wanted to pursue jazz seriously I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the parts of music I grew up with. I love songs and I didn’t feel like I would have space for that if I chose to pursue a life of a jazz drummer. 

Debuting in 2024, it feels as though you were met with general enthusiasm from the jump. Were you surprised at the immediate warm reception to your music?

So the real day oners know I used to have some songs on the internet before that, but it was kind of me just messing around and figuring things out. Before Local the Neighbour, I’d been playing music around Melbourne a lot as a drummer and I feel like people knew about me personally so when I switched to writing songs and performing live, people were curious to see the project launch. 

The lyrics on ‘Sword’ read like a stream of consciousness, swinging between searing candid, conversational, and humorous. How do you approach the process of storytelling? 

I think it’s just what comes naturally to me. I’m not really a poetry person, but I love to talk haha. So I guess my lyrics lean more into that casual side of me. 

Your sound has been compared to the indie cornerstone Alex G and MJ Lenderman. How does it feel to hear or read those comparisons?

Both of these artists are huge influences for me. I love them so much, it’s kind of flattering because for the longest time people didn’t know who either of these artists were haha. I’ve been listening to them since their earlier records and I’m really glad both of those artists are doing so well now. It’s amazing! Listening to Alex G really gave me the confidence to sing and go for things that I wouldn’t normally go for. He seems so fearless, and the singing and musicianship is so raw. MJ to me is one of the great story tellers, I love that he doesn’t take things too seriously.

Having researched your career, from the outside it looks as if you navigated things organically, guided by what feels right. As things get bigger for you, do you feel as if you need to design a grand plan going forward? 

Nah, I’m a gut feelings guy for sure. I definitely still think through my decisions a lot, but when it comes to music, I just want to do the thing that feels good. I know a lot of successful musicians and it seems like there really isn’t crazy money going around, so there’s no point chasing that if you’re miserable. I’ve realised for me when it comes to the creative side, if I don’t have a vision for what I’m trying to make, I won’t force it for the sake of just doing it. I have to have a sense of intention and purpose of making things, otherwise I don’t see the point.

Lastly, as we started life as a food instagram account, we always like to ask people for a local food recommendation. Throughout your life, you’ve moved around a lot, so we’d like to leave it open to whether you’d like to give us a reccie from Queensland, Darwin, Melbourne, or even LA.

Yooooo, let’s go. I got you. Honestly it’s a dream of mine to do a series where I show my fav spots. Mhmm, I’m half Taiwanese, so obviously in Queensland, you gotta go to Sunnybank. It’s very nostalgic for me having gone there so often as a kid. From Darwin, I constantly miss the papaya salad from Rapid Creek markets. There’s an old Thai lady there I used to know, and she makes the best one I’ve ever had.

Sadly a couple of my favourite spots in LA closed down:( BUT my friend introduced me to my favourite taco truck in Echo Park called Taco Zone!

Melbourne has the best food I think, just because the variety is so wide. When people come and visit I always recommend pho from Footscray markets, Nana Thai in the city (especially since it closes late, it’s good to do after gigs), Katik for the best Turkish food, and recently a ramen spot opened up near my house called Cafe Ogawa and it’s my new favourite place!

Thanks to Local the Neighbour for taking the time to chat. His EP, ‘Sword’ is streaming on all good music platforms now. Make sure to follow him and see where he’s playing next.