"Neck Deep has created an album that is slightly more laidback to their previous releases. However, 'All Distortions Are Intentional' still greatly shows the band's roots. As well, their growth and evolution over the years is crystal clear on this new album. "
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Must Listen
By Bruna Cucolo
Recommended songs: “Telling Stories, “Quarry,” and “Empty House”
During the time of this pandemic, people often hope for something great to happen, something that will show them things are okay. Lucky for many, pop punk band Neck Deep will be releasing their fourth studio album All Distortions Are Intentional on Friday, July 24.
When fans listen to the album, they will, in that moment, feel okay again. The Hopeless Records-signed band are guiding listeners through quite the journey on All Distortions Are Intentional. Current fans will likely not expect what this concept album fully has to offer after their first listen. And while the band’s roots are evident, their new, evolved sound does seem to outshine the old on this LP.
There is that moment at the start of a concert where only one or two instruments are played – usually the drums and/or guitar – that signifies the start of the performance. The album’s first track “Sonderland” opens up the album in that very same way. Once the momentum starts, the song kicks off the record with that pop punk feel fans know and love. For some, a mosh pit will fill their minds instantly while listening. “Sonderland” is where the album’s concept, characters and journey take place. Introducing the album, this song prepares the listener for what is yet to come. And so, the journey begins.
With a catchy chorus to sing along to, “Fall” is the following track that will make listeners want to dance around in their rooms. As well, it might just be one of the first songs fans will memorize off the album if they haven’t done so already. Another single off this record is “When You Know.” It is more gentle lyrically, but this love tune gives fans more insight into how the band has evolved musically.
In “What Took You So Long,” Neck Deep’s journey continues with a more calm-like beginning until drum cymbals establish the real start. With lyrics about coinciding and of things that are unknown, vocalist Ben Barlow expresses “I was not me until I discovered you for the first time.” At the end of the chorus, he sings about the other: “you are significant.”
“Little Dove” is an acoustic track, mastered into a cutesy melody. Towards the end of this album, listeners will have gone through multiple emotions, especially during their first listen. So, a slow-paced song is an ideal place in the album to wind down a bit. In this song, Barlow sings “Lately I’ve been pretty down / I don’t know why,” a set of personal lyrics listeners will immediately relate to. It means so much to fans when their favorite musicians can put into words something they have been feeling and they can all empathize together.
The album ends in a unique way that is almost bittersweet. “Pushing Daisies” sounds like a song that would fit in a final scene of a movie where the protagonist has overcome great struggles and is ready to move forward. People might ask themselves what the next step is – whether in life or after listening to this record – and Barlow sings out “these cycles they keep us in motion so we can take the next step.” Maybe this will be the song for some that gives them hope to keep going.
Bands sometimes go through changes and experiment with different sounds as they try to evolve. Neck Deep has created an album that is slightly more laidback to their previous releases. However, All Distortions Are Intentional still greatly shows the band’s roots. As well, their growth and evolution over the years is crystal clear on this new album. When fans, both new and old, listen to it, they might begin to feel at ease as they are taken on a journey and away from these current times. Maybe it is while going for a drive or maybe in their dimly lit bedroom, as long as its somewhere that allows them to feel okay again, even for a moment.
