The story of Neck Deep is one of pure unbelievability, these ordinary Wrexham boys have transformed into pure pop-punk titans that show no signs of stopping or slowing down anytime soon. Now they’re back with their third full-length album, The Peace And The Panic, we can ask if genius really can strike three times in the same place.

All of Neck Deep’s predecessor albums and releases, have been summer staples of mine for an incredibly long time, they’re punchy, passionate and, above all, produce a sound which is truly colossal. They have introduced so many to the world of pop-punk, shaking the genre’s overall sound whilst continuing to develop their own material in a manner which has delivered exactly what their crowds want to hear. From the offset of The Peace And The Panic we’re met with ‘Motion Sickness’ and the heavy bouncing riffs fans have become so accustomed to are there, however something is jarringly different. Vocalist Ben Barlow has clearly adapted his tones for this record. Whereas once he was a vessel of pure raw unpolished emotion, he has now adopted a far more sung vocal which, whilst at first feels strange for the long time follower, soon grows on you and truly enhances the sound. The track is a brilliant opener and feels as though we’re being introduced to an all new Neck Deep for the very first time. Ben’s vocals have come on immensely, the band’s riffs are equally heavy, and the overall production is something truly awe inspiring, a sublime start.

Played in any order, it is immediately apparent that the breakdowns are this album’s bread and butter: transitions from near silence into a sound of such vast magnitude is truly spine tingling. Each instrument brings something incredibly intricate to each song to generate a holistic sound which goes unmatched; whether it be the subtle bass neck slides from bassist, Fil Thorpe-Evans, within ‘The Grand Delusion’ or any of the absurdly quick pedal work from unfathomably talented drummer Dani Washington, each track blends remarkably.

Another of Neck Deep’s many talents has always been their tendency to produce tracks which encapsulate the teenage youthful summer vibe whilst still covering some incredibly hard hitting issues, and once again they have delivered. Death and loss make appearances throughout the album, whilst ‘Critical Mistake’ plays on a bouncy riff and the story of a summer love destined to fail. The record’s final number ‘Where Do We Go When We Go’ is a whimsical play on the ‘Rain Rain Go Away’ nursery rhyme whilst addressing a series of issues the younger generation face today. At first, I found myself worrying about the level of variance on the record, however, the latter stages more than keep the listen feeling fresh. ‘Wish You Were Here’ acts as the album’s acoustic sombre number, the likes of which every previous Neck Deep release also holds, in the form of ‘December’, ‘Candour’ or ‘A Part Of Me’, and hits the spot perfectly and with just as much heartache as always.

For myself, the pristine pinnacle of this record is ‘Don’t Wait’, featuring local Brighton hero Sam Carter from Architects. The track is not only one of the largest on the record in stature, but when Sam’s breakdown kicks in, the track transmutes into a simple scene of delightful chaos, the screamed intensity of his voice bounces electrically off of Ben’s sung tones to produce an overall sound which is unlike anything we’ve previously seen from Neck Deep. Despite this being a pop-punk record, the tiny dabble of metal in it really provides an additional pulse of energy which keeps the album one that I keep coming back to.

Neck Deep have once again knocked it out of the park. I was certainly sceptical when first hearing the initial tracks, but the change into a larger, more polished sound is a brilliant natural development of their sound whilst still holding true to their roots. For fans both new and old, The Peace And The Panic is an album that you will be blasting to fulfil your pop punk needs for the next year or two whilst these boys undoubtedly craft yet another beautiful record.

Ben Walker

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