The first buzzworthy album of the year is already here.

I was a huge fan of Neck Deep’s All Distortions Are Intentional when it came out in 2020, but found myself not returning to the project much after that. I love their 2015 and 2017 releases so much I leave them in my car, and I was excited to see what they felt was definitive Neck Deep with the release of their self-titled album last week on January 19th. I followed my latest personal protocol of not listening to any of the singles, but there are four out right now for those who don’t mind spoilers.

I would have said I was hoping for a return to form, but to say that would be incorrect because they have one of the most consistent sounds of the scene in this iteration of modern pop punk. I actually predicted that this would be a wildly polarizing release, because yes, they could have done the same thing they always do and have fans say it’s boring and redundant, or they could have gone off the rails and switch it up which would have lead us to say that they shouldn’t have added paint to a masterpiece.

So far, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The album will still take some more time to digest, but no matter what, Neck Deep are still one of the most relevant pop punk acts on the planet, and their self-titled release will give plenty to explore for the rest of 2024.

by Nadia Alves

Nadia Alves has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.