September's band is... Neck Deep! Having just released their sophomore album last month, we're eager to jump into this post. Feel free to join the conversation in the comments section. And if you have suggestions for future featured posts, reviews and bands please let us know.
To read our full review of "Life's Not Out to Get You" click this (link).
Neck Deep is one of those pleasant surprises the world threw at pop punk fans in 2014. After a string of EPs, successful in their native U.K, the band were signed to Hopeless Records. A wise decision on the part of the band, seeing as Hopeless has quite a few affluent pop punk bands on their roster (All Time Low, The Wonder Years, We Are The In Crowd, Anarbor, etc).
There aren't a lot of big name, U.K pop punk bands. When you think pop punk, you usually think of clear, sunny skies, parties, California beaches, guys with board shorts and Vans, and guitars hanging around ankles. Not sweaters, damp weather, and, well you get the picture. The band's sound can be described as classic 00s pop punk vibes with well coordinated production. Neck Deep bring the upbeat energy of pop punk, while mixing in classic punk rock rhythms and bass lines. Which is what many fans long for these days (since pop punk has taken a shine to over production and skinny jeans). Their breakthrough EP, "Rain in July" was released in 2012 after frontman Ben Barlow posted song "What Did You Expect" in April. The re-recorded versions of the song were later featured on both the EP and the band's first album.
ND's debut album "Wishful Thinking" is as strong as they come. We featured it on our "Top 10 Debut Albums (2010-2014) Pt 2" list. Not perfect, but then very few debuts are perfect. The thing that pop punk does best is create catchy, simple structured songs. ND perfected this with their debut album. Then they took their abilities to write a summer hit, and with the guidance of pop punk alumnus Jeremy McKinnon, Andrew Wade, and Tom Denney they wrote some of the best songs of 2015.
We won't get into it too much. Read our full review by clicking the link above. Long story short, ND have a long and prosperous career ahead of them. But with ever band there is a down side. They recently lost lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts, amidst sexual misconduct allegations. He did the right thing, bowing out so the band could avoid any further scandal. If this blows over, hopefully the band will maintain contact with him. Lloyd has some of the best guitar riffs under his belt. Everyone makes mistakes, so let's forgive and forget. It was just a misconduct, not rape or assault. And as they say, innocent until proven guilty.
Even if you're not the biggest fan of pop punk, you have to give ND props. One of the breakthrough bands of 2014 and 2015, they came out of nowhere and pumped some much needed life into the genre. They will be touring with PVRIS and Bring Me The Horizon this fall. Ya weird combination right? Something you'd only see on Warped Tour, pop punk band, electronic rock band, and whatever you classify BMTH as now (alt rock?).
Below is a quick 12 song playlist, featuring some of our top ND songs. Thanks for reading, stay devious