Neck Deep - Wishful Thinking Album Review

Released	13 January 2013
Recorded	2012
Genre	Pop Punk
Length	32:00
Label	Hopless Records
Rating	6.5/10

No doubt that Neck Deep are extremely talented in producing entertaining, lively pop punk music as a British band, they serve us justice, it's just not as justified on the latest album. Made up of 5 young, ambitious young lads from Wrexham forming in 2012, they have proved to race through their starting carer and hit it up big time by recently getting signed to Hopeless Records. Not bad for a years work.
Trying to top their previous EP, "Rain In July" was bound to be hard as their very first "Head To The Ground" only gave us a taster of what was next to come. Hoping that they would carry on this aggressively, relatable song theme from their first album, they chose to take a slightly laid back turn with Wishful Thinking.

Being a good fan of the band, I had high expectations and hopes for them to produce a solid style album packed with Ben's edgy sharp vocals which provide a nostalgic theme of "All Hype No Heart" showing a more stronger, mash up style which was hinted before. Preparing us with the release of two songs before the album stream I knew that this wasn't going to be present.
Don't get me wrong, I do love "Crushing Grief (No Remedy)" as a song as it proves to be the strongest one in the whole album, being the nucleus of the whole setup. Matching this with a brilliantly structured music video in which their fans have helped them make, the song just draws a full highlight on everything they are about. My only setback would be that it is quite a change in the rhythm, in comparison  to their old music. Loosing that simple 4/4 on the drums and pushing it forward with a much stronger, faster energetic beat, it proves to show a different side to the pop punk genre.

Enough about that, and more about the actual album. Wanting to do a review on this album is hard when I fell so in love with their previous EP's as I feel this one just lacks enthusiasm and passion. However it's not to say that I don't like the album. The songs overall provide a strong, catchy beat which keep the positive moods to linger, still adding the basic conventions of the pop punk genre. It loses it's sense of "FUCK YOU, I HATE MY GRIRLFRIEND, I HATE YOU" and focuses more on the softer happier times.

The album starts off with "Losing Teeth" one we haven't experienced yet, wasting no time we are introduced to the Vocals almost imminently. As a starter song, they have chosen it well, as it still reminds us of the previous music they have made with the sharpness of the guitar strums on the verse but then it also displays the new style, which is much softer and toned within the chorus and Ben's main vocals. All in all, the song provides a lot of variety when listening to it, easing us into the new troposphere which is being created.
Following that new start is "Crushing Grief" which is quite obviously my favorite song off the whole album. Still encountering the troubles of teenage heartbreaks, this song proves to keep the close relateness Neck Deep have with their crowds, each lyrics in the chorus has been stuck in my mind ever since I started listening to it, and that's when you know it's going to be a success.

We then get to the middle, mediocre songs which tend to escape my mind as soon as they finish, not really putting any impact into my thoughts or even catching a line which implants my memory, I would rate these songs as just average. "Damsel In Distress" however does restore some of these thoughts with it's regained chorus that follows a listing feel that you will find yourself moving to.
Most of these songs seems to mix into others as they don't have a clear distinction between them to separate each one as their own, however saying this they do collaborate well together as an album, so on the whole overview they do work and can be very strong to the right set of ears.
"Zoltar Speaks" starts of with a strong riff which really does grab your attention as it slightly differs in key than the others, but this is loss with the generically structured verse/ chorus/ verse.

Halfway through the album and we are met with "Growing Pains" a slightly familiar song with a brilliant music video. When this first got released I imminently felt that something wasn't right about it, as though they were missing the aggressive stretches of Ben's voice. Placed with a simple, basic and easy beat the song carries this consistent bottom line tune which also shows strongly in their unproductive lyrics that seem to take an weak aspiration in the whole album.

One thing is for sure, that adding a new version of "What Did You Expect" was personally a bad idea. Firstly seeing the title made me think that they've just added the song in again which is fine, as it is already perfect as it is, but then I listened to it and it just sounded wrong. To me it was a train wreck gone wrong, re doing a song is always going to end bad, especially as they were trying to record it to fit in with the album which is much more simple and slow paced than the original song to keep up with. The changes to it are minor but they are changes in which I could pick out almost imminently, as hearing two versions you're always going to have to compare them to be good and bad. My opinion may be just so bias to me loving the original but it almost just pains me that they have ruined a really strong song. If you haven't heard the original then you will just probably think that it's brilliant, and it is, in the albums perspective it's a great song to add to it, improving its quality, but because we know its a remake it just pulls the whole atmosphere down a bit.
Ending the album with "Candour" was just something way to typical for Neck Deep to do. Normally full of surprises the band have tried to conform to the majority of albums with a slowed down, sad song leaving you thinking in past thoughts. For them however it proves a much wider variety of talent they are capable of producing as the violin touch does add to the song in its strength, making me like it slightly more than I should.

One of my main problems I have found with this album is not the music it's self but me, I have had  high hopes for it and for me to try and adjust to the new sound they are producing. It's not a bad album, I do like it in its entirety, some songs more than others, it's just very average when listen to individually with no clear message in the songs that seem to talk about the same things, it lacks that attack they had in their previous work. It may also be to do with them getting signed, and trying to produce an overall audience rather than keeping that tight niche one which loved their unique and quirkiness, the band have tried new things and that's never hurt anyone, well maybe a few fans.
I hope this is an album you'd have to listen to a few times before you get your heard round it because i'm still not feeling the full love here.

The album is released on Monday 13th January so make sure you have a listen to it yourself before taking my work for it.
Or even catch them on tour this whole month with ROAM!

Tracklisting:
Losing Teeth
Crushing Grief (New Remedy)
Staircase Wit
Damsel and Distress
Zoltar Speaks
Growing Pains
Say What You Want
Mileage
Sweet Nothings
What Did You Expect?
Blank Pages
Candour