For a band that only formed in 2012, Neck Deep really have come a very long way already in the short space of time that they’ve been in existence, and with this début album they 100% live up to the hype and expectation that already surrounds them with this release.
From the very first track on the album, Neck Deep grab you here and send a very strong message that ‘Wishful Thinking‘ is a pop-punk album well worth listening to. At just over half an hour in length, ‘Wishful Thinking‘ is a fast and furious attack of an album that hits you hard right from the word go, immediately grabbing your attention and maintaining it throughout the album’s duration. ‘Losing Teeth‘ kicks the album off in fantastic style with an incredible instrumental tightness and a huge amount of vocal power, as the album progresses the momentum at no point ever drops, however, and at all times the quality here is high and the music is absolutely infectious.
Whilst much of the album sticks to the same tried and tested pop-punk formula, fifth track ‘Zoltar Speaks‘ keeps you on your toes a bit with a heavier edge to the music that stops things from getting too stale and predictable. Neck Deep are incredibly good at creating pop-punk music, ‘Zoltar Speaks‘ demonstrates that they can also successfully go a little darker, however, and with its resounding chorus that includes reference to the album’s title as vocalist Ben Barlow shouts ‘Let this sink in, wishful thinking’, the band’s ability and the album’s success certainly does sink in here in a track that features a fantastic key change and successfully shows that the band can venture away from their comfort zone and still come up trumps with a track of absolute class.
Much like ‘Zoltar Speaks‘, closing track ‘Candour‘ is another that demonstrates the band’s ability to do things a little differently and still sound equally brilliant. With guest vocals from Laura Whiteside, ‘Candour‘ is a fantastic offering of music that comes complete with a huge amount of vocal beauty. The vocals are at the very heart of the music, central to the track’s success with Ben Barlow’s vocals here the best that he has to offer on the album, contrasting incredibly well with Laura Whiteside’s. The track slows down the pace of what has otherwise been an incredibly frantic and hard hitting album, bringing the release to a beautiful close in a piece of music that will no doubt be held in incredibly high regard by all those that hear it. ‘Zoltar Speaks‘ demonstrates a fine ability from the band to hit a little harder, but ‘Candour‘ shows a softer side that Neck Deep is also equally capable of showcasing, a track that ends the album in style and brings the release to an impressive conclusion.
For those that love their pop-punk, Neck Deep’s ‘Wishful Thinking‘ really is an album well worth listening to. 2013 was the year of The Wonder Years as their phenomenal ‘The Greatest Generation‘ album was unveiled, 2014 looks like it’s going to be a great year for UK pop-punk though and Neck Deep have certainly made sure that the year has kicked off in style with the release of this incredibly impressive début. In a genre as overcrowded and overpopulated as pop-punk it is always going to take something pretty special to rise to the top, and although it’s only been two years since this band even formed, Neck Deep really do deserve the success that they’ve gained so far and this début album definitely does demonstrate that the hype surrounding this band really is deserved and that they truly are an incredibly talented group of individuals.
Neck Deep are currently touring the UK in support of this extremely impressive début, so if you’re based in the UK then be sure to try and head along to one of their shows as the way things are progressing for them, the next time they tour they’ll definitely be packing out far bigger venues than they’re performing at this time out, so make sure you see them on this tour and you’ll surely not regret it.
UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.
