Neck Deep - Wishful Thinking
British pop-rockers Neck Deep have faced their fair share of cynicism considering they only formed in 2012, but they are hoping to put the world to rights with the release of their debut single Wishful Thinking.
Opening track Losing Teeth is the perfect starting point for the album; the intro grabs your attention straight away and the track is full of catchy riffs. It is the type of song that makes you wish for sunshine and long summer days hanging out with friends.
Wishful Thinking is incredibly easy to listen to, Neck Deep do not experiment much with their sound, but that works well for them and their familiar sound makes the album incredibly likeable. It has been said before, but it is true, front man Ben Barlow's voice has a similar tone to The Story So Far's Parker Cannon but he seems to embrace that without, to my ear at least, sounding like a copycat.
Damsel In Distress is a great little track which shows of Neck Deep's talent for writing a big chorus; this track is bound to become a fan favourite at live shows. Zoltar Speaks follows and keeps up the momentum. It has a great guitar structure and is the song that is mostly to get stuck in your head from the album. Sadly, closing track Candour slows things down, so does not make for the best ending of this otherwise upbeat album.
Overall, Wishful Thinking is a well produced album, it is not ground-breaking but it does highlight the talent of a young British band, who perform and write well. Neck Deep are touring both the UK and US in the early part of 2014, so this year is bound to have big things in store for them.