Over the last several years, Pop Punk has seen a resurgence in a major way. So many artists have emerged who are very obviously inspired by the Alternative Rock music that dominated charts in the late 1990s and early 2000s. These artists are trying to take the music they grew up with and bring it back in a manner that meshes the Alternative music landscape of today. I am not going to lie, for the most part, I have not been a huge fan of this resurgence, as so many artists that go with this sound make pretty mundane and safe music. There are some artists, however, who have executed this sound in recent years. Neck Deep is one of those artists. Since emerging in the early 2010s, Neck Deep has been one of the best bands to make Pop Punk music in the last decade. Neck Deep has released four albums before this year: 2014’s Wishful Thinking, 2015’s Life’s Not Out To Get You(which spawned the band’s biggest track to this point, the iconic ‘December’), 2017’s The Peace and the Panic, and 2020’s All Distortions Are Intentional. Neck Deep has continued to improve their sound with each release, becoming more dynamic and perfecting their sound in a way that appeals to older music and younger ones alike. Neck Deep has now returned with their fifth studio album, Neck Deep. If it follows the trajectory they have been on, this should be yet another improvement on their timeless style of music. With that being said, here is how I feel about Neck Deep’s new album Neck Deep. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from this record, and also comment on how you feel about it as a whole.
Neck Deep gets their self-titled record started on an energetic and fun note with the track ‘Dumbstruck Dumf**k.’ This is a high-octane and raucous track that immediately made me think of bands like The Offspring or Sum 41. ‘Dumbstruck Dumf**k’ is driven by a clean yet chunky guitar riff with a bright tone that is put on a classic Skate-Punk drum beat. The instrumental is not anything special, but it is cool for what it is. The thing about ‘Dumbstruck Dumf**k’ that stands out is the lead vocals. I love the range in which lead singer Ben Barlow sings with, as it gives the song a palpable level of emotion. On ‘Dumbstruck Dumf**k,’ Ben Barlow is singing about trying to convince a girl he is into to be with him even though he knows he is not the man she needs. ‘Sort Yourself Out’ is a song inspired by a different kind of 2000s Alternative Rock than we heard on the first track. This one immediately made me think of Rise Against, particularly their Appeal To Reason album. This track is driven by an intense yet clean guitar riff with a super warm tone. The drum performance on this ‘Sort Yourself Out’ is excellent and takes the song over the top. I love how hard the drums are played on the track, as it gives the song such a powerful feeling. The vocal performance on ‘Sort Yourself Out’ is not the most exciting, but it also does not take away from the song in any way. On ‘Sort Yourself Out,’ Ben Barlow is singing about trying to win back a girl who does not feel the same way about him as he does about her anymore. ‘This Is All My Fault’ does not have the same kind of allure that the first two tracks do. This one does not draw me in very much. Frankly, this one just sounds too much like a random Blink 182 song from back in the day. Now there is nothing wrong with Neck Deep wearing their influences on their sleeves(they were transparent with this on the first two tracks), but there is nothing about ‘This Is All My Fault’ that draws me in like those do. From the instrumental to the vocals, everything about this track is just okay to me. It will probably appeal to huge fans of Blink more than it does to me, but in my opinion, ‘This Is All My Fault’ is pretty forgettable. In ‘This Is All My Fault,’ Ben Barlow tells his partner to walk away from him. He knows he can not be fixed, and feels she is wasting her time by coming back to him.
‘We Need More Bricks’ is a song that brings the same power and intensity that ‘Sort Yourself Out’ had. Like that track, I can hear an undeniable influence from the mid-2000s Hardcore Punk that bands like Rise Against made back in the day. I enjoy the gritty and bold guitar riff that drives this track. The melody for this track is so warm and crisp, and it gives the song a massive feeling that makes it very fun. The drums are absolutely pounded, which goes so well with the vivacious energy of the instrumental. ‘We Need More Bricks’ is also a song with excellent vocals. I especially love how Ben Barlow shouts some of the lyrics throughout the track, as it makes the song feel so vast. On ‘We Need More Bricks,’ Ben Barlow is singing about not giving up and picking yourself up from off the ground when everything around you in your life feels bleak. I have to say, I think ‘Heartbreak Of The Century’ would jump out at me more if it did not follow ‘We Need More Bricks.’ I am usually a big fan of seamless transitions in albums and I typically enjoy when the melodies are similar from one song to the next, but this one just sounds too much like the song that precedes it. ‘Heartbreak Of The Century’ is not a bad song by any means; in fact, there are probably a lot of people that prefer it to ‘We Need More Bricks.’ but because that song comes before ‘Heartbreak Of The Century’ in the tracklist, it makes more of an impact for me. Almost everything about this song, from the melody to the vocals to the tempo, is similar to the previous song. The only thing about ‘Heartbreak Of The Century’ that stands out for me is the way the drums are played. I like the drum fills on this one, as they break up the even feeling of the track and make it pop a bit. In ‘Heartbreak Of The Century,’ Ben Barlow is singing about as much as he does not want it to be, he realizes things are over with his ex and that there is nothing he can do to win her back. ‘Go Outside’ is the third track in a row with a very similar melody and overall sound to the tracks that precede it. Once again, I do enjoy how nice the transitions between ‘We Need More Bricks,’ ‘Heartbreak Of The Century,’ and ‘Go Outside’ are; they do, however, almost sound like one ten-minute song instead of three songs in succession. This song does feel a bit lighter than the two songs before it, which distinguishes it and provides a nice buffer. As far as the tone of the melody and tempo of the track, though, it sounds just like its two immediate predecessors on the record. I will say that out of these three tracks, I enjoy the vocal performance on ‘Go Outside’ the most. Ben Barlow demonstrates his massive range on this one, and the tone with which he sings makes this song feel a bit more compelling. In ‘Go Outside,’ Ben Barlow is begging a former partner or friend to help him feel better and get back to the joyous person he used to be since he feels like he is falling into a pit of despair. ‘Take Me With You’ is a song with a way lighter Pop-Punk feeling than the more Hardcore feeling the tracks before it had. This one is definitely inspired by Blink 182 again, but it is a lot more dynamic and fresh than ‘This Is All My Fault’ is. Many things about this song make it stand out. For one, the melody is so catchy and cool; I love the intricacy of the riff, as it gives the track an emotional feeling that makes it special. The drum beat on this track is super lively and commanding, which also really makes the song pop. My favorite thing about ‘Take Me With You,’ however, is the vocals. This is Ben Barlow’s best performance of the record so far. He sings with a level of power and passion on this track that makes it super exciting and puts the song over the top. On ‘Take Me With You,’ Ben Barlow is singing to an alien I guess? He wants to get off of this earth and is pleading for someone to beam him up to the heavens.
‘They May Not Mean To(But They Do)’ has a lighter and more Pop-Centric feeling than anything on the album before it. This one makes me think of the music of artists like All American Rejects or Boys Like Girls. It has a sound that is almost Pop-Punk adjacent; it has elements of the Punk music that inspired the music on this album before it, but it is a lot softer and more rhythmic than those. Honestly, I think this is a cool switch-up to what we have heard so far on this record. It shows a more subtle element of Neck Deep’s artistry that I appreciate. The melody for this song is sunny and sweet, and the drums are catchy and understated. The vocal performance on ‘They May Not Mean To(But They Do)’ is nice; I enjoy the bits where Ben Barlow yells the lyrics, as it gives the song a level of intensity it benefits from. On ‘They May Not Mean To(But They Do),’ Ben Barlow is singing about not getting along with his parents and how the fact that they tried to push religion and other beliefs on him ended up messing up the way he thinks about everything. ‘It Won’t Be Like This Forever’ is even lighter than the song that precedes it. This is easily the more traditional 2000s Alternative Pop-Rock song of the album. If the last song felt inspired by All American Rejects, this one almost feels like a throwaway from one of their older albums. This is not necessarily a bad thing. There is a reason why that kind of Pop was so popular back in the day. If you are into cozy and breezy retro Alternative Rock, this is probably a song that you will love. I will say that ‘It Won’t Be Like This Forever’ has the top vocal performance of the record. Ben Barlow’s vocals on this track make it pop; because of this excellent vocal performance, ‘It Won’t Be Like This Forever’ sticks out as one of the top songs of the record for me. On ‘It Won’t Be Like This Forever,’ Ben Barlow sings about how his new significant other is making all of the despair surrounding him in his life feel not as bad. Neck Deep closes out this record with the track ‘Moody Weirdo.’ This song feels influenced by an entirely different kind of Pop-Rock than we have heard on this album to this point. This honestly makes it a breath of fresh air, and a great way to wind things down on this project. When I hear ‘Moody Weirdo,’ it brings me back to bands like Matchbox Twenty or Barenaked Ladies. This track has a softer retro Alternative Rock sound with a Poppy feeling. The melody and beat are light and heavy at the same time. This song has a hard enough sound for fans of their tougher Punk music but also has a more delicate element to it that can appeal to people who aren’t as big a fan of the harder stuff. Although the actual range in the vocal performance is nothing to write home about, I still love the vocals on this track. The cadence with which Ben Barlow sings with makes the track such an earworm, giving ‘Moody Weirdo’ the kind of sound that will get stuck in anyone’s head when they hear it. On ‘Moody Weirdo,’ Ben Barlow is singing about taking life day by day and learning to be okay with your strange, authentic self. It is a great sentiment that anyone can learn from, and it sends this record out on a positive and entertaining note.
Neck Deep has never been an artist that is going to reinvent the wheel. They have long since figured out what they are good at and what works for them, and they have been known to stick to it. Neck Deep is not the kind of band to listen to if you want innovative, riveting music. They are pretty set in their ways, and know what their fans want. For what it is worth, though, Neck Deep is very good for what it is. This is a quality Pop-Punk album that takes elements of multiple types of 2000s Alternative Rock and makes them palatable in 2024. I like how this album was drawn from a variety of places and did not just sound directly inspired by Blink 182. So many Pop-Punk artists these days sound like straight-up copycats of Blink, and Neck Deep goes beyond that. This is not the most exciting record I have heard, but it does what it was trying to do well, and I can appreciate that. With this self-titled record, Neck Deep once again proves why they are one of the top Pop-Punk artists in music today, and it is easy to see why they are revered by their fans.
EAST SIDE VIBES 