Neck Deep is a Pop Punk quintet from the UK and will be releasing their debut EP, Rain In July, on September 18th. For a first release, Rain In July is a decent start for an up and coming Pop Punk act; however, the EP does not separate Neck Deep from their contemporaries all that much. The band needs to move on and grow away from the influence of their Pop Punk role models in order to stand out among the masses.
This seven-track EP runs just over the fifteen minute mark and doesn’t let the listener lose interest during that time span. The opening tune, Kick It, has that typical jaunty tempo that is associated with Easycore, a kind that everyone loves. Silver Lining follows with its careful, melodic guitar work and easy sing along-style vocals, although it is broken up into three parts by these random, awkward pauses. What Did You Expect? is a more aggressive and angst-ridden track, slightly channeling The Story So Far with its heavier guitar tones and lyrics like, “You went and fucked this up ‘cause you couldn’t keep your legs shut”. Things slow down with the catchy, campfire-y acoustic track, A Part Of Me, that sounds a bit like New Found Glory’s Too Good To Be. It’s a sweet, touching tune for whomever it is written for, and features a sort of Cute Without The ‘E’ dual vocal technique towards the ending. All Hype, No Heart is a swift, forty-two second song where every band member gives it their all and just pounds out on all of the instruments in a Such Gold-esque manner. It’s a very odd place to put a song like this on an EP; it would fit in better right after What Did You Expect? due to its powerful sound, and so that the listener isn’t left with hearing, “Go fuck yourself”, as the ending to the EP.
As a first release, Rain In July is a good stepping stone for Neck Deep in getting their name out there. The EP could have used some tweaking here and there, but it is most certainly not a disaster of a debut. With some improvement, these guys could be touring extensively with their major influences very soon.
Tracklist:
1. Kick It
2. Silver Lining
3. What Did You Expect?
4. Over And Over
5. A Part Of Me (Feat. Laura Whiteside)
6. I Couldn't Wait To Leave 6 Months Ago
7. All Hype, No Heart
Rating:
Written by Melissa Jones
