Album Review: 'All Distortions are Intentional' by Neck Deep

2019 was a big year for Neck Deep. With the take off of their cover of "Torn" followed by the hit single "She's a God" Neck Deep started to sky rocket in the streaming numbers. Followed by the releases, the band went on tour for most of 2019 with Blink-182 and Lil Wayne. With the release of their new album, there is a lot to expect to come out the band. Hailing from Wexham, Neck Deep is a band to expect a lot more from. Let's dive into their newest album: All Distortions Are Intentional!

Listen to 'All Distortions are Intentional' while you read!

1. "Sonderland"

We start the album being introduced to "Sonderland". Neck Deep welcomes you inside their minds, as if you're walking into a new world of dark despair and raw emotions, and sets you up to be able to listen to the rest of their world throughout All Distortions Are Intentional. Sonderland is where you go to get all your emotions out, and to figure out maybe what's going on in your life.

2. "Fall"

A classic love tribute to what some of us know best, the Saturday night we got too drunk and made decisions with someone knowing it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but doing it anyways. Maybe it was someone you met and fell for extremely hard and then wondered the rest of your life, what happened to them? Maybe it was the person you met one night in college and spent chasing after that even though they won't give you the time of day after that one amazing night, not sober.

3. "Lowlife"

Lowlife was the first single released for this album. The song is a catchy upbeat dream beat and guitar sounds. The song is about living in a world where you're the outcast, but not letting it bother you one bit. Going day by day being surrounded by normal people and their normal, boring lifestyles and their perspective of you being a "lowlife" compared to them. Reminding us that our weird sides are what makes us, us. Lyrics ring true such as "Oh well, oh well/You're a normie/So f**king boring/Maybe I'll see you in H**l/Mr. I'm so important/Mr. Important/I'm ignoring you/The king of the morning/F**king boring".

4. "Telling Stories"

Telling Stories is quite literally about telling stories about your life. Being the person in your friend group and not having an extravagant story to tell about yourself and to brag about, but knowing WHO has been in your life, and how the people surrounding you are what makes the story of your life, worth telling.

5. "When You Know"

The second single released off of this album, Neck Deep asked for the help of their fans since it was the beginning of quarantine for everyone. The song has an up beat feel with gut wrenching lyrics such as "Sunshine, we don't belong here/We got no flowers to grow/but it feels so good with you on me, baby/Yeah, it feels so good when you know." and "No, break free from all that makes you weak/And in that moment stay for forever and a day/Or three months in, I’m thinking about more than just the next week/Baby, you feeling me?" Bringing the assumption that the demons and hardships we face bring someone to a dark place in life and knowing you would do anything for them. Following them wherever they want you to follow them, as long as they still want you to be there and be with you.

6. "Quarry"

Get ready for a sad one folks. Quarry is a deep, sad rhythmic voice over a beat talking us through a cliff in a quarry. Assuming that this song represents someone who has committed suicide, and once you're gone, spreading your own ashes over the quarry so you can be together.

7. "Sick Joke"

The final single released before the album, Sick Joke is all about wondering why you're still alive, and what can keep you going. If you've ever been through difficult times, or suffer from any mental health issues, this song is the sound track of your life. Wondering why life hands you so many hardships and how can you face them? What's the point? But, knowing that there are little positives that can keep you alive and keep you going.

8. "What Took You So Long"

What Took You So Long is a long told love story about a someone finally coming to their senses about being in love, and confessing every feeling to that someone. Having so much in common, while simultaneously having nothing in common at all. What took you so long and where have you always been? is an example of said feelings. The catchy lyrics will have you humming all day long.

I think I'm feeling like somebody

I found some bliss in our insignificance

No question, no doubt about it

You are the difference, you are significant

You make me significant

You are significant

9. "Empty House"

If you've ever lost a loved one, or gone through a bad break up, this song is for you. Sitting alone in an empty house with just you and your thoughts can be detrimental. This song walks you through every thought while trying to work out your feelings when you're at your lowest. Ben and Seb Barlow lost their dad in 2016, and you can really feel the emotions running deep in the lyrics throughout the song.

I'm sitting in this empty house

Just trying to feel much better now

I'm just trying to feel much better now

10. "Little Dove"

If you've ever dated a musician, or have someone you love who's job requires them to be away, you know the pain of a long distance relationship. "Little Dove" is about the toll that can take on relationships. It seems as if this is a goodbye song right before a long tour, and what is cool is that the lyrics connect to an earlier song in the album that bring you back around into a sadder feeling of the past.

I'll be hiding from the world

And all that it expects of me

And I'll be diving down a depth into this old quarry

And lately I've been pretty down

I don't know why, I don't know why

11. "I Revolve (Around You)"

I Revolve (Around You) is about a relationship that you can't seem to get away from. No matter how distant you can be from one another, you seem to still be drawn to each other. The song was released with an animated video about an astronaut and an alien and their love story. A forbidden love, but still managing to find the way to be together.

12. "Pushing Daisies"

Alone, together in a crazy world, knowing that everyones final destination is dead, pushing daisies. Trying not to let the fear of dying get you down. Pushing Daisies is the perfect song to end the album with. You go through the whole album learning different emotions of life with it's ups and downs, and that you may call your life Sonderland, but in the end we all end up in the same place, so does it matter worrying so much about it? The way we view the world can be skewed in so many ways, but what does that matter?

Well, I'm sure you can see that I'm doing much better now

Me and my girl with the world all figured out

Life is a joke and we get dead anyhow

Lowlife kids got to live how you wanna live

F**k society, fuck your politics

F**k yourself and f**k the way it is

Check out Neck Deep on social media!

• Twitter: @NeckDeepUK
• Facebook: Neck Deep
• Instagram: @neckdeepuk
• Youtube: Neck Deep
• Spotify: Neck Deep

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