2013 saw Wrexham’s Neck Deep practically explode on to the scene, and since then they’ve been just getting better and better. With international tours, support slots for the likes of Blink-182 and now two incredible albums under their belts, it seems like these pop punkers have well and truly taken the world by storm.
Life’s Not Out To Get You has been highly anticipated since it was announced, and it was certainly not in vain. From the very get-go in initial track ‘Citizens Of Earth‘, Neck Deep prove that they’ve still got that spark that made people fall in love with them and their debut album, Wishful Thinking. This follow up is brilliant in that it’s unique, but a continuation of style. It’s not an emulation of Wishful Thinking in any way, but instead what could be considered a sequel of sorts. They’ve been able to make what was working even better, and change anything that might have been letting them down.
‘Can’t Kick Up The Roots‘ has already been raved about by fans and press alike since its premiere on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show. An interesting tune, it’s essentially Neck Deep’s answer to All Time Low‘s ‘For Baltimore‘ – except its quintessentially British, which makes it all the more sweeter. There’s nothing like a bit of homegrown angsty pop punk after all!
The thing that makes Neck Deep stand out from the crowd is that they won’t conform to the ideas people have about genres and stylings. They’re clearly set out to create music the way they want to, without any input from unnecessary parties, and as a result they come out with some absolutely stellar material that has more and more fans flocking to them with every move they make. ‘Lime St‘, for example, is your would-be typical pop punk tune, but the delivery that Neck Deep gives means it offers up an experience like no other.
Among the pop punk carnage, however, you also have the odd gentler, acoustic gem. On this record, that comes in the form of ‘December‘, which allows listeners to get more involved with the beautiful song-writing above anything else. Neck Deep are one hell of a versatile band, and will have you mashing one minute then crying the next!
In summary, this is a killer effort from Neck Deep. All bands fear the sophomore slump, but these pop punk titans clearly have nothing to worry about – and as long as they keep putting such care in to their records, they’re sure to have a long and fulfilling career.
