Neck Deep — All Distortions Are Intentional (7/24/20)
I discovered this Welsh pop-punk band through Alternative Press Magazine in the April 2014 issue, after they signed to Hopeless Records. They were given a small feature as one of the “100 bands you need to know this year.”
That led me to their full-length debut Wishful Thinking which was receiving tons of praise. It was clear they were up my alley but I remember being amazingly frustrated with that album because I just could not get into it.
It turned me off from the band and I ended up letting their 2015 sophomore completely pass me by. They came across my radar again in 2017 with their third album The Peace And The Panic. Vocalist Ben Barlow didn’t even sound like the same guy from their first album. His voice went from a lower register suited for heavier punk, to a much lighter, poppier tone. I loved it, but I can imagine this being seen as a turn in the wrong direction from fans of their early sound.
That album gave me “In Bloom,” a song that has gone on to be a staple for me in pop-punk/rock. They definitely lightened up their approach with the album and they continue with that sound on their fourth.
All Distortions Are Intentional is a name that comes from the title of a piece of work by the artist who ended up creating the album artwork. Barlow said in an interview with Kerrang! magazine that it’s a statement that works into the record in a lot of ways.
Our understandings and misunderstandings in life happen for a reason, and in our journey from point A to point B there are a lot of emotional fluctuations, which are all part of the bigger picture. This is an album of drastic juxtapositions and creative choices that might not all make sense right off the bat, but they are intentional.
It’s apparently a concept album that tells the story of a loner and the love of his life, who live in a place dubbed as Sonderland. It combines “wonderland” with “sonder,” the word used to describe the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own.
The album opens with “Sonderland,” which introduces you to the depressed mindset of the album’s protagonist. The song seems to paint Sonderland as more of a fantasy land than an actual location. Maybe I’m wrong…I don’t really care to dissect the concept of an album, I just like to focus on my own interpretation.
And I interpret this song and this album as a whole as being a voice for the misfits of society. It’s for anyone who feels different; who maybe doesn’t agree with some societal norms; who is unhappy with the state of the world. A lot of this album feels like a big F-U to the pressures of today’s society and I really respect it for that.
“Welcome to my dark despair/Everyone here is a nightmare,” Barlow cries in the absolutely smashing hook to “Sonderland.” The song transitions right into “Fall,” another smasher of a song that pretty much embraces a night of reckless abandonment.
Lead single “Lowlife” is pretty on the nose of the album’s overall theme. It’s an anthem for the “lowlife’s” out there as it celebrates the lifestyle and mocks the white-collar working class (“Mr. ‘Dead on the inside’”).
The second single “When You Know” is the album’s love song. It’s a wonderfully uplifting pop-rock melody that calls back to the early-’00s with its acoustic-backed rock sound.
“What Took You So Long” is another declaration of love and, while a little sappy, it still does a great job at warming the heart. The misfit protagonist has found the person who makes him feel significant and it’s a song like this that inspires you to keep searching for the person who will have that effect on you.
“Quarry” serves as a bit of a mid-album interlude and it’s probably the most experimental track I’ve heard from the band. It follows a trodding pace with Barlow’s vocals at a lower pitch, taking on a bit of a solemn spoken-word delivery. It’s a depressing cut that hints at suicidal ideation and medication.
This album as a whole is a solid showing of pop-rock that follows the journey of love and self-realization for a couple who never really fit in. I love it for the inspiration it supplies for people like myself who struggle to find their footing in this world.
I’m a fan of the breezy pop-rock over their older and heavier punk approach but I know this album is seen as a bit too easy for many. I will agree that there’s not too much that really cuts through the skin on here. Songs like “Telling Stories,” “Sick Joke,” and the closer “Pushing Daisies” come off as a little underwhelming for me.
“I Revolve (Around You)” is another heavy-handed hook, similar to what pulled me in with “Sonderland” and “Fall.” By the time you get to it as the penultimate track though, it comes off as a bit too familiar.
“Empty House” deserves some credit for supplying one of the biggest drops of the album that breaches on and EDM-style guitar riff. Again though, not a song that really pulls much out of me.
They also include a sweet and depressing acoustic track (it even features some mandolin) with “Little Dove.” It’s nothing that has me going crazy but Barlow does a great job with a softer melody.
This modern living
Scrolling through pictures of other people
It’s all that anybody talks about
