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Neck Deep’s self-titled album encompasses everything the Welsh band have been about throughout their illustrious careers – raw, high-octane pop-punk mischief dialled up to eleven.

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When long-time drummer Dani Washington announced its departure with the band after 10 years, many wondered what direction the band would take. After previous All Distortions Are Intentional failed to hit its stride in mid-2020, many thought it was the making of the band to float away into the emo nether-sphere.

But if we’re going off the bands’ recent self-titled release, we had really nothing to worry about. Opting out of the cheesy acoustics that littered the groups’ previous workings, it incorporates fast, blistering strat-guitar quips, bold vocals and expertly-crafted drum parts from drum tech-stand in Matt Powles, the 10-track self-titled starts off with no holds barred and hardly wavers as we traverse deeper.

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It’s not just our Californian counterparts, Blink-182 hoggin’ the pop punk headlines this year

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The band are known for their devilishly catchy opening tracks, introducing their fans with welcoming arms into the punk skatepark. Dumstruck Dumbf**ck is no exception. Where the momentum hits in DD, it simply doesn’t let up. The turbulent Sort Yourself Out into half-step This is All My Fault reminds us that it’s not going to have any lengthy fillers or cheesy love poems. It’s a band purely dismaying the rumours and returning in pure emphatic style. We’re back. We Need More Bricks is another chunky powerhouse, with an underlying message that is politically charged as the punks rage against the palace. The leading single from this album is Heartbreak of the Century – a heretic around the central thesis of broken love. An angsty number with equally infections guitar hooks, it introduced the band back after a long haul with contracts, managers and fans alike. Fellow stand-outs Take Me With You and It Won’t Be Like This Forever also solidified a symbolically powerful return for the band who were once on the ropes.

All Killer No Filler, Neck Deep’s fifth self-titled is a stand-alone statement of intent. Earmarked with blistering pace throughout, it doesn’t let up for a fleeting moment. All we can try to do is catch up.

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