July 2020 – Singapore – ‘All Distortions Are Intentional’, the biggest and boldest step yet in the creative evolution of UK-rockers Neck Deep, is finally available to stream and purchase today via Hopeless Records at smarturl.it/NDADAI.
Already being praised by both fans and press alike, this album brings listeners on a conceptual journey with straight bangers, track after track. Their fourth album is polished yet raw, layered but catchy as hell. It’s a shoot-for-the-stars sonic reckoning, further proving this band’s instinctual DIY ethos has paid off once again.
Moreover, ADAI marks an epiphany of true self-belief for its creators: “Everyone wants to be seen as good at what they do, as creative, interesting, ambitious,” front man Ben Barlow shares. “That’s what we wanted, for people to see that we are more than just some guys in a band. We truly lived and breathed this album, and wove unique perspectives, storytelling, and ideas into its fabric. We have crafted a sound that is ours, it is totally, unapologetically Neck Deep.”
The album tells the story of a loner named Jett, who lives in Sonderland, a combination of “Wonderland” and the somewhat obscure word “sonder”: the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own, with their own ambitions and worries. “It’s that strange existential realization that you are not the entire world,” explains singer Ben Barlow. “Everyone around you feels and lives the same way that you do. You’re just an extra in their story.”
The band enlisted the talents of Grammy-nominated A-list producer Matt Squire (Panic! At The Disco, Ariana Grande, One Direction) to create ADAI, recording in Wales at the legendary Monnow Valley Studio, which has been a recording home for artists like Oasis, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Joss Stone and more. Squire and Neck Deep tucked themselves away at the world famous residential studio, located in the gorgeous but remote Wye Valley in the heart of the band’s native Wales. The decision to create the album ‘at home’ was an important one; on the eve of what’s certain to be Neck Deep’s greatest exposure to the world yet, it’s a grateful and decisive acknowledgment of where they’ve come from, both literally and figuratively.
Ahead of today’s schedule, Neck Deep shared five singles with fans – “Sick Joke”, “I Revolve (Around You)”, “Fall”, “When You Know” and “Lowlife” – all of which highlighted the band’s creativity through unique music videos, most of which were completed while they were locked down and isolated from one another and their creative teams.
The follow up to 2017’s monumental release, ‘The Peace And The Panic’, which catapulted the band into mainstream success with a #2 charting position on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and their US debut late-night TV performance, is a journey of self-discovery and personal expression not unlike the rise of the band itself.
Neck Deep leapt from side project to full time band in 2012, after a single track online led to a pair of EPs followed by a deal with Hopeless Records. They struck a chord with a burgeoning audience, quickly heralded as leaders of a resurgence in hook-heavy punk, with an immediate accessibility and fun attitude combined with genuine concern for issues like loneliness, depression, and anxiety. The instant relatability of the band’s songs and overall approachable attitude endeared them to a new and incredibly passionate generation, with devotion to rival the biggest titans of melodic rock.
‘All Distortions Are Intentional’ is available today at smarturl.it/NDADAI
Neck Deep is Ben Barlow (Vocals), Matt West (Guitar), Sam Bowden (Guitar), Seb Barlow (Bass) and Dani Washington (Drums).
