8.5/10

British pop-punk quintet Neck Deep have released their fifth album and have taken the bold move of making it their self-titled album, which tends to come with a bit of hype and expectation. Not only does this album exceed any hype and expectation that might have been attached to the release, but it pays perfect homage to their career thus far and earns itself the honour of being the self-titled album. It takes all the best elements of Neck Deep, throws them into a pot and concocts a classic, hard-hitting Neck Deep album.

‘Neck Deep’ is punchy, fun, catchy, slick, and sees the band at their most comfortable. It doesn’t expose a new side of the band and as a collection of songs lacks diversity in sound, but I’m happy to let that slide as there really isn’t a dull moment on the album. At only 10 songs long there’s no room for fillers, and fortunately that’s the case as every song on the album earns its place in one of the 10 precious spots.

Not only does every song have you wanting to hit repeat, but this latest offering actually has (in my opinion) some of their best songs ever. The singles are all impressive, but for me the opening two tracks – Dumbstruck Dumbf**k and Sort Yourself Out – are the catchiest and most anthemic, and over time could very well be placed among their catalogue’s ‘classics’. To have the ability to write such fantastic songs 12 years into their career, you have to take your hat off to them.

In a recent interview with Kerrang about the new album, Neck Deep talked about how they are not trying to prove anything to anyone with this album and are in no rush to try to break their way into the mainstream. If it happens, it happens, but if it doesn’t then they’ve already had a bloody good career. I have no hesitation in saying that they’ve carried the pop-punk genre since Life’s Not Out To Get You, particularly in the UK, and they have solidified themselves in this role once more with this new album.