January 2024 marks the beginning of a new era for leading UK pop-punks Neck Deep, their upcoming 10 track LP captures a moment of harmony between their global success and their dedication to staying true to their roots. Following huge tours and top 5 records, the band opted to write and record their self-titled album in their own warehouse space in Wrexham, and from energetic opener “Dumbstruck Dumbf**k” all the way through to introspective closing track “Moody Weirdo”, Neck Deep expertly represents the band. It’s pop-punk perfection with a distinguishable Neck Deep stamp on it.
The familiar themes of failing romantic relationships and self-loathing are cushioned by the bouncy, upbeat music and sense of community and hope that Neck Deep so brilliantly conjure. “They May Not Mean To (But They Do)” bluntly explores generational and childhood trauma with a sense of inevitability and is immediately followed by “It Won’t Be Like This Forever”, the calmest track of the album, which warmly advises “don’t be so pessimistic, you’re gonna miss it all”. “Moody Weirdo” is the most direct track to comfort and advise with lyrics that include “you’ve gotta take one small step every day, don’t fight the change” and “ride your own wave, soak up the rain”, a chorus sure to rally the punks that “We Need More Bricks” references.
Neck Deep is a sincere, playful display of what the band are capable of within a genre that they have perfected and found their own place within. “This Is All My Fault” continues the story of self-destruction in relationships told in decade-old track “Head to The Ground”, while “Take Me with You” ventures into the more comedic side of the genre, not shying away from the Pop portion of it at all. It has everything you’d hope for from a self-titled Pop-punk album and secures the band’s place in the genre’s history books.
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