July 21st, 2020 – Singapore – Ahead of this Friday’s release of their monumental fourth full-length album, ‘All Distortions Are Intentional’, Neck Deep has released “Sick Joke”. “It’s a song that questions the fabric of reality whilst battling mental health,” shares front man Ben Barlow on the track.
“Jett contemplates whether life itself is even real, in fairly ethereal terms, due to the internal suffering he is experiencing. Shredding solos, punchy rhythms and stomping drums drive the song along, and it sonically represents the more minor/ driven side of the record.”
Fans can check out a brand new music video for the track today at smarturl.it/NDSickJokeVideo. A true team effort, with remote direction and editing from long-time visual collaborators Chris Blockd and Elliot Ingham, each member of the band shot their individual performance sequences at their homes against green screens bought from eBay. Meanwhile, the visuals were created and animated by Harry Mitchell, a fan of the band who has become a close creative collaborative partner over these last few months of the ADAI era.
“Sick Joke” joins “I Revolve (Around You)”, “Fall”, “When You Know” and “Lowlife” from the band’s forthcoming album, ‘All Distortions Are Intentional’. Due out July 24, 2020 via Hopeless Records, this is no mere collection of songs. ‘All Distortions Are Intentional’ is conceptually rich, with themes of disconnection, existential confusion, and the search for meaning.
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.”
Neck Deep 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.
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’ marks Neck Deep’s arrival as an arena-confident band. Having mastered all of the strengths of the scene that birthed them, Neck Deep have evolved to this next stage, and as their crowds grow larger, it’s clearer than ever just how much this “silly little band” has come to mean to people.
‘All Distortions Are Intentional’ is available for pre-order today at smarturl.it/NDADAI
Neck Deep is Ben Barlow (Vocals), Matt West (Guitar), Sam Bowden (Guitar), Seb Barlow (Bass) and Dani Washington (Drums).
