ALBUM REVIEW: All Distortions Are Intentional – Neck Deep

July 25, 2020 Yasmine Summan

Buckling down four studio albums in just a short seven years and establishing themselves as the trailblazers for the next wave of pop-punk, NECK DEEP cement their legacy of always being on the cusp of what’s next for music with their fifth studio album, All Distortions Are Intentional. Their latest LP explores a new creative venture for the band, establishing a story arc album that deals with loneliness, existential confusion, and living in a dystopian world of fear, something that many resonate within today’s state of affairs.

The album’s overarching theme acts as the backbone, understanding the story gives a more enlightening listen. All Distortions Are Intentional follows our protagonist Jett who falls in love with Alice, though throughout the album listen they face challenges and are left to deal with the chaotic nightmare of their own world. The theme/plan is executed with the utmost efforts, the devil really is in the detail. Listening chronologically, one might say that the album is almost split up into three chapters and details Jett’s backstory, how he falls in love, and where it all goes wrong.

Kicking in with Sonderland, this track helps to establish the life inside this fantasy world. Though the song is upbeat, the lyrics juxtapose and give a conflict of emotions, acting as a breakthrough from the distorted and warped reality of Sonderland to offer some truth. In true NECK DEEP fashion, these lyrics appeal very much to the ‘I hate my town’ vibe, especially where it says “welcome to my dark despair, everyone here is a nightmare”. Similarly, Lowlife establishes the same backstory to Sonderland, although Fall appears somewhat early on in the tracklisting. Typically, not much effort is stressed into chronological order of songs but in the context of this album trying to establish a story, having Fall as the second track when Jett’s story is still yet to be established in Lowlife can jump the gun. Fall would fare better being snuggled up with Telling Stories and When You Know as those tracks read like your typical soft, caressing, and heartfelt love songs.

A second chapter or section of this album that breaks away from the previous sweet love narrative is Quarry, a slower-paced track that brings a depressing overtone to the rest of the album. The tracks between Quarry and Empty House deflect from the upbeat drums and lively vocals used in the first half of the album, relying more on a blaring bass and emotional lyrics to get across feelings of conflict, loneliness, and isolation, detailing a series of challenges and hurdles to overcome, seen best in lyrics like “I’m sitting in this empty house, just trying to feel much better now” in Empty House and “sometimes I wonder if life is some sick joke. Will I wake up and it’s over?” in Sick Joke. Our final chapter brings us to a closing book moment, with tracks like Pushing Daises that instigate an end of times and an end to this album.

The album plays like something from a 90s-teen coming of age movie, it has inklings of a cinematic feeling. Anyone who remembers the late 90s to early 2000s teen romcoms or coming of age movies will remember each one had its own pop-punk anthem, think Dammit by BLINK 182, Bleed American by JIMMY EAT WORLD, or I Want Candy by GOOD CHARLOTTE. Those tracks invoked some kind of change, like a defining moment in the movie where the characters overcome a hurdle or have their happy ending and this whole album plays just like that by leaning into a lot of 90s pop-punk influence and having a story arc that details overcoming change and getting somewhat of a happy ending.

Perhaps of the few criticisms to have with this album, one might say they didn’t take it far enough instrumentally. Ben Barlow’s vocals have only improved over the years and are a powerhouse for this album, in fact, instrumentally this album is technically flawless and has no hinges. But it would be nice to see NECK DEEP take their instrumental side further and explore even more unique ways to style and execute their music beyond pop-punk, their sound has faced major evolution in such a brief time that it could bare even more changes for the sake of making fun music.

The overall theme of the album could easily resonate with a lot of people as it speaks to feeling disillusioned with the state of the world, something many of us face with the ongoing disorder in our society. The dystopian chaos of this album brings a familiar reminder of their previous album, The Peace And The Panic, and some may feel it’s the extension of that feeling but with a different execution.

NECK DEEP found their footing in the 2014 pop-punk revival, everything was just plaid shirts, khaki shorts, pizza, and punk jumps. Escaping such a saturated market and establishing yourself beyond that is a hard task to do but NECK DEEP have evolved past writing about young love and heartbreak, their latest endeavour takes us into a well-thought-out fantasy world that doesn’t feel too unreal from our current lives. It finds an innovative and creative way to speak to the struggles we’re all going through right now that doesn’t become preachy or self-righteous. It’s an organic and healthy growth for the band and their audience who’ve grown with them.

Overall, All Distortions Are Intentional is a catchy album with some pop-punk anthems and an exciting new project for NECK DEEP that we haven’t really seen from them.

Rating: 8/10