In the last few years, Neck deep have grown exponentially. When I listened to their first album, I remember thinking about how I was aware that they were a band starting their career. Only within the last year have I heard their sophomore effort, Life’s Not Out to Get You, which was a sizeable leap forward in song writing skill and kept my attention for quite some time. The Peace and the Panic, the third album from the band, is not only their best work to date, it is a near perfect blend of the best aspects of pop punk with a personalized edge to it.

Neck Deep have found their groove in the scene, with a perfected mix of New Found Glory’s pop and memorable lyrics and the harsh guitars of A Day To Remember and Four Year Strong. There is an argument that the tracks might be over-produced (depending on your preference), but there is a satisfying edge to the tempered guitars.

This is a band who is unapologetically pop punk, but carving their own path through what could be an otherwise stagnated genre. “Don’t Wait” is a heavy pop song that wouldn’t have felt genuine on an earlier album as it delves into questioning the government and gaining enough perspective on the world to create your own decisions. “19 Seventy Sumthin’” is sonically caught somewhere between The Early November’s “Driving South” and Polar Bear Club’s “Drifting Thing”. It’s a beautiful mixture that shows the talent behind the band and how far they have come.

Guitarists Matt West and newcomer Sam Bowden seem to relish in the simplicity of pop punk power chords while still finding the harder edge that has been missing on the band’s last two releases (“Motion Sickness”, “Heavy Lies”) while also striking a crisp power pop melody throughout (“The Grand Delusion”). Bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans provides a heavy spine to keep the songs propped up with bucking lines (“Parachute”). Drummer Dani Washington is at his best, finding a solid mix of beats ranging from hard punk (“Motion Sickness”) to 90’s alternative (“Parachute”).

Vocalist Ben Barlow showcases his best performance yet. He is experienced enough to test his range and write some incredibly catchy and memorable hooks. The directions he takes songs into are notable as well, as they delve deeper than any of their other records. The confidence of youth is on full display, such as in “Parachutes” as he sings, “I’m done with small town politics / I need to make my way to where the action is / I’m done with it, so the question is / are you coming with?”

Lead single, “In Bloom” is a reverberating pop jam, reminiscent of Brian Fallon’s swirling guitars as Barlow asks for a chance to recover from his own sadness to help pick up the pieces of a broken relationship. “Don’t Wait” begs the listener to look further for the truth in government and politics, with a backing threat of Sam Carter screaming behind the chorus. “Disrupted they keep dividing / the government is lying / I’m not going to be a pharisee of this society / Turn off your TV station, that’s not real information”.

Perhaps most satisfying is “19 Seventy Sumthin’”. The song traces the story of Barlow’s parents from the beginnings of their relationship through his father’s death. The song is light and cheery, as a happy marriage should be, before delving into heavier guitars during the eulogy of his father. “We made it here my dear, grandkids and the mortgage paid off / Is this what dreams are made of, cuz baby we made it / Yeah, baby, you saved me / But nothing could save him from the ambulance that day”.

The Peace and the Panic is an album about finding the best in life, even if the path there is littered with road blocks. This is best expressed through closing track “Where Do We Go When We Go”, as Barlow sings, “Pain, pain, go away. Come back another day / I just wanna get one up on life before it kills me”.

Neck Deep have cemented themselves as a cornerstone of modern pop punk with this album. They haven’t redefined pop punk, because they haven’t had to. Instead, they have found the lifeblood of the genre and pumped it alive again like all great punk albums do – with ferociously uplifting music, lyrics hoping for the best despite the odds, and a guarantee that you’ll be singing along on the second listen.

4.5/5

by Kyle Schultz

Kyle Schultz is the Senior Editor at It’s All Dead and has worked as a gaming journalist at Structure Gaming. He lives in Chicago and is just the worst. He stepped on a pile of tomatoes yesterday. Who does that? Who doesn’t notice a hillock of tomatoes on the sidewalk and at least make an attempt to dodge? This idiot, that’s who. Boo him to his face.