Fall Into ADAI with Neck Deep

8.4Overall Score

Lyrics8

Vocals8

Musicianship9

Emotion8

Consistency9

Neck Deep, Fall
Hopeless Records

Oh Neck Deep… will you ever let us down? Of course you won’t. Fall, the latest taste of upcoming album All Distortions Are Intentional is a gloriously brooding pop-punk jam – what did we expect? But don’t be fooled, Neck Deep might be purveyors of the best of ‘generic pop punk’ but they’re by no means sticking to the blueprint on ADAI. Their first full-fledged concept record, Fall is the latest chapter in the tale of Alice and Jett in Sonderland (for more details on that check out the lowdown on Lowlife and When You Know), and it’s a compelling one.

The best kinds of concept records are those where each track stands as a banger in its own right as well as a thread in the tapestry – need we cite Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge as an example on this sadly MCR-less weekend? Fall is a masterclass in how to weave your story whilst staying scorchingly resonant. Penned about the dangers of excess, Fall is both a dark dream of a night in Sonderland and a night that we’ve all experienced ourselves too. Neck Deep invite us into Sonderland and we dive right in.

Musically, Fall proves that however bold your concept is, it needs the instrumental clout to come to life. And doesn’t Fall just erupt – the opening is reminiscent of ND anthem December, and that same power permeates it all the way through. The moody guitar riff, the wavering vocals, the stadium-sized density – Fall is energy non-stop.

Neck Deep’s brand is ‘generic pop-punk’ no longer: the tracks we’ve heard so far from All Distortions Are Intentional prove they’re carving a niche as one of the bands who elevate pop-punk to ambitious heights, and we’re on the edge of our seat for the next episode.

All Distortions Are Intentional is out July 24th.