In a climate where a significant proportion of pop-punk bands are trying to disassociate themselves with the increasingly clichéd foundations of the genre, Wrexham five-piece Neck Deep have established a diehard following by doing the opposite. Their debut full-length was arguably unadventurous and safe, but clearly tapped into a mass consciousness that may otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Last year’s ‘Wishful Thinking’ opened doors for Neck Deep even they didn’t expect. Having started the band with reserved ambition, the quintet have since supported All Time Low at Wembley Arena, broken the States in an unprecedented way for a UK pop-punk act, and hit the road for the Vans Warped Tour for two consecutive years.
This experience has clearly had a direct effect on their sound development. Having spent time with some of the major players in the pop-punk scene, and worked alongside A Day To Remember vocalist Jeremy McKinnon as part of the record’s production team, ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ sees Neck Deep deliberately push themselves into a more mainstream sound, whilst retaining the fundamental pop-punk elements that first got them noticed.
By no means a huge departure from ‘Wishful Thinking’, ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ demonstrates a maturity lacking on their less coherent debut. The structure is undoubtedly more considered, both in terms of the individual tracks and the overall record. Importantly, it continually demonstrates the band’s affinity to straightforward pop-punk through the likes of lead single, ‘Can’t Kick Up The Roots’, or the upbeat ‘Smooth Seas Don’t Make Good Sailors’.
Yet Neck Deep aren’t afraid to experiment with sounds – presumably in part due to their work with McKinnon. Opener ‘Citizens Of Earth’ breaks into a nostalgic wave of rap infused pop-punk that will warm the hearts of Sum 41 fans, amongst others. Second single ‘Gold Steps’ launches the records comparably down-tempo mid-section with an increase in pop-hooks, not least ‘Serpents’ which joins the opening moments of ‘Rock Bottom’ in hinting heavily at blink-182’s seminal self-titled full-length.
With Neck Deep’s open declaration that ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ aims at relating with their audience, there’s a heavy lyrical weighting towards relationships and general frustration. All the while there’s a positive message running through the record, especially as frontman Ben Barlow sings the album title vehemently on ‘Gold Steps’. “Resurrect and start again,” proves the lasting message as the closing moments of ‘Rock Bottom’ ring out.
If ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ is supposed to convert the previously disinterested, Neck Deep have created an impressively strong pop-punk record that is likely to do just that. With ‘Wishful Thinking’ attracting a particularly younger audience, ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ injects enough maturity and consideration into the infectious pop-punk formula to generate a wider appeal.
For Barlow and co, Neck Deep has always been about frivolity. On ‘Life’s Not Out To Get You’ that frivolity meets some seriously good song writing, truly becoming something worth raving about.
BEN TIPPLE