Photo Credit: Nat Wood
Previous record All Distortions Are Intentional saw Neck Deep experimenting with different sounds and textures. From emo-revival to lo-fi, it was an impressive effort in expanding pop-punk’s boundaries. Released at an unfortunate time (the world was in the grips of the global pandemic), the band never toured the album as extensively as they would have undoubtedly preferred. Whether due to timing or a change in sound, it never really felt like a logical step on the Neck Deep journey.
The first record since the departure of long-time drummer Dani Washington, this self-titled record seems very much like a course correction for the band. Combining the odes to smalltown inertia of Life’s Not Out to Get You with the political bombast and breakdowns from The Peace and the Panic, this is an awesome slab of pop-punk that Green Day and Blink-182 at their pomp would be envious of.
The record opens with Dumbstruck Dumbf*ck, which does exactly what it says on the tin. A loud, fast burst of self-deprecating pop-punk that could’ve come straight out of 2002. The album opener sets the tone for the record as a whole; no nonsense, and quite excellent pop-punk.
Sort Yourself Out and This is All My Fault follow in much the same vein, chronicling the familiar pop-punk lovelorn tropes, in the best possible way. These tracks could easily have been lifted from New Found Glory’s Sticks and Stones.
We Need More Bricks makes you want to kick every Tory-induced social ill’s head in. A state of the nation address, it’s like the more positive Yin, to Motion Sickness’s angry Yang. An American Idiot–style banger, with a British wally sensibility.
Following their political detour, Neck Deep get back to the relationship turbulence on Heartbreak of the Century. It’s another excellent single, which demonstrates what the album is about. Break-ups never sounded so fun.
Contrary to this, Go Outside! is a bit slower and explores the mental space following the break-up. It’s a rumination on the impact of toxic masculinity, and while it delves into more introspective themes than the rest of the tracks on the album, it still manages to hold onto the pop-punk core. Think Blink-182’s Stay Together For the Kids or Good Charlotte’s Hold On and you’ve got an idea of the feeling of this track.
They May Not Mean To (But They Do) sees the band pick-up back on their anger: rallying against a religious upbringing in a smalltown, and parental induced fuck-uppery. However, it’s nowhere near as whiny as that summary makes it sound. It’s more a reflection on self-fulfilling cycles, and how familial love is interpreted from both sides. It’s a unique take on a familiar pop-punk trope, that really works. It also helps that this is another catchy as hell pop-punk banger.
It Won’t Be Like This Forever is another deliberation on mental health and the effects that a rocky relationship can have on it. It’s more upbeat than Go Outside! but still manages to hit the sweet spot between sentimental and catchy. Again, it never really strays from the usual pop-punk formula, but it is executed exceptionally.
The album closes with Moody Weirdo. Featuring guitar sounds reminiscent of early State Champs, the song progresses into a mid-tempo pop-punk track, tying the whole album together. Lyrically it reflects on the album’s earlier themes of mental health, but offers a message of powering through with ‘one small step every day’. It’s a fitting end to a predictably solid yet excellent album.
On this self-titled effort, Neck Deep manages to straddle the gap between intelligent and irreverent better than most bands. You’ll struggle to find a band capable of slipping the words ‘petrichor’ and ‘solipsistic’ into their lyrics (It Won’t Be Like This Forever), while also making play on words about onanism (Heartbreak Of The Century).
In places, Neck Deep strive for a Wonder Years-esque post-pop-punk, but fall closer to the sound of Blink-182’s mid-00’s goofball heyday (there’s even a track dedicated to aliens). That’s far from a criticism, however. As far as route-one pop-punk goes, there hasn’t been anything this good in a while. With this collection of songs, Neck Deep have identified their lane, and crashed through the genre’s median barrier to get back into it. It’s a welcome return to form for one of pop-punk’s leading lights.
Although it’s just begun, this is sure to be a contender for pop-punk album of 2024.
9/10
Standout Tracks: Dumbstruck Dumbf*ck, We Need More Bricks, It Won’t Be Like This Forever
For Fans Of: Blink-182, New Found Glory, Green Day, The Story So Far
