'All Distortions Are Intentional' Review: Neck Deep's new album is all about punk rock, pondering and charm
Welsh pop-punk band, Neck Deep, have released their latest studio album, 'All Distortions Are Intentional', on Friday, July 24, via Hopeless Records. Prior to its release, the group shared several singles — 'I Revolve (Around You)', 'Fall', 'When You Know', 'Lowlife' and their latest, 'Sick Joke' — which arrived on July 20.
'All Distortions Are Intentional' follows after the 2017 release of their critically-acclaimed record, 'The Peace And The Panic'. Described in a statement as "a journey of self-discovery and personal expression not unlike the rise of the band itself," 'The Peace And The Panic' jetted the band into mainstream success and landed the band a No. 2 charting position on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart. Frontman Ben Barlow explained what to expect from the new LP. “Modern music is so much based around ‘the single’ and writing a record isn’t held in nearly the same regard as it used to be. 'All Distortions Are Intentional' presents a whole story, where there is meaning from every angle of it. All of our records have their themes, but I wanted to create characters, scenes, a world, and have it mean something in the real world, too," the singer revealed, according to Kerrang!.
With their new record, it is clear that Neck Deep have dug their feet deep in the soil of their success and found their niche. Every track dons an attitude of surefooted confidence and a crispness in the recording. Tracks like the opener 'Sonderland' or 'I Revolve (Around You)' could fit well in a party or arena atmosphere with hard-hitting punk resonances. 'Lowlife' gets a bouncy rhythm in the verses before exploding into the cheeky chorus with "Oh well, oh well / You're a normie / So f*****g boring / Maybe I'll see you in hell / Mr 'I'm so important'". The high-octane 'Telling Stories' drives distortion guitar, double tempo drumming and vocal belting at full throttle.
Apart from romantic resonances in several tracks, it is also clear that the band has wanted to make a deeper connection with their listeners instead of just churning out punk anthems. The slow-burner 'Quarry' sinks into bitter sadness but pulls attention with the question in the chorus, "Have you ever lost a real friend / Have you ever sat on messages you've written them but can't send / All alone in your apartment / Thinking 'bout when it wasn't all so hard and now".
We also hear certain Green Day tones in the vocals and melodies, but Neck Deep's 'Little Dove' displays a gentler approach to resting the pains of listeners. The track begins in a honey-dripped acoustic guitar riff and sweeps into melodic humming between verses. "Let go, you say it all the time / You say it but you don't know / And let go, I know it makes you cry / And know that you are not alone / And let go of your little dove / My little love, keep looking up / Better days are yet to come," sings Barlow in the first verse and transforms introspective suffering into escapism.
'All Distortions Are Intentional' is filled with the heaviness of punk rock, relatable pondering and in peeling back its layers, a variety of gems can be obtained from the album. Its charm is left to be discovered by the listener themself and that is the main reason it becomes more catchy with each listen.