Album Review: Neck Deep – Life’s Not Out To Get You
3 min read
Welsh punk rockers Neck Deep are one hot commodity at the moment. From tearing up Warped Tour this year, to supporting other bands on tour and selling out headline shows have given these 5 guys serious exposure and plenty of fans. But make no mistake they’re not an over night success story, the band have worked hard to get to where they are and it’s their fresh take on this classic genre of music that makes them so appealing. Ever since their signing with Hopeless Records things have been pretty crazy for these young lads, their debut album Wishful Thinking earned them plenty of success and accolades within the punk music scene. Now two years since their debut the lads have released their sophomore album Life’s Not Out To Get You and it’s a pop-punk masterpiece, proving that if you go the extra mile in honing in on your sound, there’s no such thing as a sophomore slump.
Drawing on the title of the album Life’s Not Out To Get You is a twelve-piece collection of tracks that triumphs at the theme of overcoming your life struggles. The level of song writing on this album is absolutely stellar; it’s got lyrics full of angst crafted in a way that showcases the emotion behind them and a gives off a sense of optimism in the process. Neck Deep has a talent for making such raw songs so appealing, full of heavy drums, epic guitar riffs and of course lyrics that stay with you long after the songs ended. There’s an interesting distinction between the high energy all in songs that leave you moshing around the room, to the slower more emotional tracks that stay with your soul but they do work in harmony as the entire record flows beautifully.
LNOTGY is a hard hitter when it comes to finely constructed songs with an intense energy and these are the tracks that are somewhat iconic for these UK rockers. Songs like “Threat Level Midnight”, “Gold Steps”, “Lime St” and, “Kali Ma” which features an appearance from Jeremy McKinnon, front man for ‘A Day to Remember’ who helped produce the record. Songs like these are at the beginning of the album and they get you pumped right up with their anguish-ridden lines that are incredibly relatable to anyone who’s been through the motions of life. Another true testament to the genre is “Can’t Kick Up The Roots” which is a bit of homage to their hometown and how they escaped “Wasting Away” there and its pretty much a rite of passage for anyone in the punk-pop game.
For Neck Deep it’s all about the rise and fall, which makes the intense, sadder, tracks hit so much harder. “December” which is a beautifully, haunting song that tells a tale of bitter remorse and it goes to show you that Neck Deep aren’t just about thrashing around on their instruments. After they got you all hyped up on the energy they delivered before it you’re struck with the acoustic guitar and smoother rhythm that make the lyrics stand out even more and they practically leave an imprint on your heart, soul and brain.
The lads are doing a fantastic job at proving to the legends of the scene proud with their passion and finely crafted lyrics. If you’re a fan of music with blood, sweat and tears embedded into it while backed by serious instrumental talents then Life’s Not Out To Get You is definitely what you need in your life. Overall Neck Deep has delivered an absolutely stunning piece of music that is ultimately a Punk-Pop Masterwork full of supreme bangers, which are more than likely going to become your life anthems.
