Released 19 January 2024
Hopeless Records
Ten years ago, a fresh-faced band of misfits from Wales stumbled across our iPods with their label debut, Wishful Thinking. A few months later, Neck Deep embarked on their maiden voyage across the world to Australia, playing a raucous set of angsty, fast-paced pop punk only small dive bars are made of. A year later, that very same band exploded across the world with Life’s Not Out To Get You and… well, you know, the rest is history.
Since then, the Welsh lads have expanded their fanbase far and wide with releases like The Peace and the Panic and All Distortions Are Intentional, which saw vocalist Ben Barlow develop his craft and songwriting skills further. However, for their fifth release, he alongside his bandmates (which includes brother/producer Seb Barlow), have scaled it back to their early days. Listening to their self-titled release almost feels like going straight back to the dive bars and sweaty club venues, with a sense of maturity and confidence that these pop punkers know who they are and their place in the world.
Opening track ‘Dumbstruck Dumbf**k’ sets the album up for some mayhem. Barlow encourages the listener to “not be so hollow” and in amongst its explosive guitars, we get a punchy straight-up pop punk track. ‘Sort Yourself Out’ continues this as it throws us back to the Wishful Thinking days. A song about wasted efforts in a relationship, it is as punchy and spiteful as a moody teenager can get.
While Neck Deep certainly are not teenagers anymore (neither are we!), it can’t be denied that the genre is having a revolution at the minute and in turn, is allowing us to relive our inner youth. And what did we do as moody teenagers? We self-inflict pain and blame ourselves for all the little things. ‘This is All My Fault’ sings out to the hopeless emo kid in all of us.
As mature adults and a band with now five records under their belt, the band’s attempt at using their platform to shed light on more important matters is irrevocably clear. ‘We Need More Bricks’ is the most conscious track on this record, revealing a little more of the darkness of the world today. The great thing about this upbeat jam in particular is, that it is just so enjoyable without looking too deep into the lyrics. Through this empowering moshpit anthem, Ben feels like they have a duty to their fans to educate and inform on such matters, but we have more on that for you later!
‘Heartbreak of the Century’ is about as badass pop punk as you can get. While almost a year old now, this song feels like a gift that continues giving. Like all the greatest breakup songs in the genre, the boys have just set benchmarks high for the future here. On the contrary, ‘Go Outside!’ is a cry for help when you no longer feel like yourself. It’s a pessimistic emo jam molded in contemporary pop punk, whilst also providing an underlying message about encouraging all of us to spend more time outside. Musically, it masks the sadness with brisk, melodic guitars and is just as catchy as everything they’ve released on 2015’s Life’s Not Out To Get You.
‘Take Me With You’ is what we’re calling the early 2000s crossover tune we didn’t know we needed. Harking similarities to blink-182’s ‘Another Girl, Another Planet’ (or even Simple Plan’s ‘My Alien’), this is Neck Deep cementing their 10-year tenure in the industry as almost-veterans. The moment you can drop a hit as good as the OGs surely sets them up for life.
Following this is an awkwardly enjoyable song about paying respects and being thankful for your parents. ‘They May Not Mean To (But They Do)’ is a heartfelt perspective about being sorry for all the times you were an annoying little shit growing up. Filled with consistent poppy energy, Ben helps us realise that as an adult, we finally see that all the worry they had was out of love. But here’s the twist — we end up just like them in the end.
‘It Won’t Be Like This Forever’ very much gives us the “In Bloom” of the entire record, throwing back to what the band experimented with on their most recent releases. It doesn’t feel out of place here either. In fact, between this and the album’s closer, ‘Moody Weirdo’ it celebrates Neck Deep as refined musicians who have developed their craft but are also aware of when it’s time to return back to their roots.
In 2024, Neck Deep are ultimately riding their own wave. They’ve kept it close to home, producing it themselves, and honestly, when you are confident in your skills, why wouldn’t you? It may only be January, but I applaud the band — well, bassist/producer Seb Barlow — for setting the benchmark high in pop punk this early.
Rating: 9/10
Review by Tamara May @citylightstam
Neck Deep – Neck Deep tracklisting:
1. Dumbstruck Dumbf**k
2. Sort Yourself Out
3. This is All My Fault
4. We Need More Bricks
5. Heartbreak of the Century
6. Go Outside!
7. Take Me With You
8. They May Not Mean To (But They Do)
9. It Won’t Be Like This Forever
10. Moody Weirdo
