The band released an EP, Rain in July, in September 2012, which gained the band even more attention from people. According to Barlow, "People took notice and demanded that we play shows." The band supported With the Punches and Me Vs Hero in the UK in December. 3 December date of tour was the band's live debut. At their second show the band signed with a manager. The band toured the UK supporting Hacktivist in February 2013. Also in February the band released the A History of Bad Decisions EP as a "pay what you want" download. The band and their tour manager went on a holiday to Florida. The group ended up playing two shows that were "crazy and sold out and packed", according to Thorpe-Evans. Videos of the shows ended up online, which were seen by Hopeless Records. Hopeless got in contact with the band's manager who put the label in contact with the band. The band signed to Hopeless in August 2013. Being signed to the label was "a dream come true" for the band.
The band released their debut album, Wishful Thinking, on 14 January 2014. Up until this point, the band was a "fun, part-time entity", according to Barlow. With the release of the album, the band became a full-time thing, according to Barlow: "Fuck it, let's do this properly". The success of the album resulted in Thorpe-Evans, West and Roberts quitting their jobs, Washington turning down a place at the Academy of Contemporary Music, and Barlow dropping out of university. Following the release of Wishful Thinking, Neck Deep began 2014 with a full UK headline tour and also toured the UK as the main support for We Are the in Crowd, before a headline tour covering the US with Knuckle Puck, Light Years and Misguided by Giants. The band were announced to perform on 2014 edition of Vans Warped Tour. The band's two EPs were remixed and remastered as part of the compilation Rain in July / A History of Bad Decisions, released on Hopeless on 17 June. It was released to capitalise on the band's popularity at the time. Barlow said that this compilation would be "definitive release of these songs". The band hoped that the new fans that enjoyed Wishful Thinking "will enjoy the chance to check these songs out now that we've had a chance to improve how they sound!"21 The band won the Kerrang! Award for Best British Newcomer 2014, beating nominees Blitz Kids, Bury Tomorrow, Lonely the Brave, and Decade. The band headlined the Intercontinental Championships Tour, along with Knuckle Puck (USA), Seaway (Canada) and Trophy Eyes (Australia), and touring the UK. The tour was set to start January 2015 and run through February.
On 27 April 2015 the band made a post on their Facebook page consisting of nothing more than "Can't Kick Up the Roots. 12.05.15". This post turned out to be a song and the release date of 12 May. A few days later on 4 May, the band made another Facebook post stating the name of their new album, Life's Not out to Get You. The release date of this album was 14 August. On 10 May, "Can't Kick Up the Roots" was premiered on UK radio station BBC Radio 1 and was met with lots of praise by fans, with the band then stating that the song's music video and pre-orders for the album would be available on 12 May. The band played all dates of the 2015 edition of Vans Warped Tour. On 19 July, "Gold Steps" was premiered live on Daniel P. Carter's BBC Radio 1 rock show. The album made No.10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales list, and the band made No. 67 on the Artist 100 list.
On 22 August 2015, allegations of sexual misconduct against guitarist Lloyd Roberts were made, in which Roberts was accused of sending inappropriate photos to an underage girl. Roberts denied these allegations. The band responded that they were aware of the situation and asked for "a moment to get to the bottom of this." One day later, they clarified that Roberts would be "stepping down" from his position in the band as he did not want to tarnish the band's reputation as a result of these allegations. He states, "I’m now looking to put this horrendous chapter in my life behind me as I instead look forward to the future. For me, that means doing the one thing I love the most – writing and recording music." On 13 October 2015, Roberts released a statement which explained that the police had cleared him of all charges, stating that they "found no case" to back up the allegations made against him. In the same statement, Roberts hinted that there are no plans for him to return to the band. On 17 December 2015, Sam Bowden, of Climates and Blood Youth, officially joined the band as their new lead guitarist.
On 27 June 2016, the band began writing new material for the band's third album. They began working on the album in the studio eight months after writing the band's new music on 21 February 2017. On 15 January 2017, the band's vocalist, Ben Barlow, stated that a band should always show progression in its music and they are certainly aware that is what they want to do in the band's third album. In an interview with the lead singer, Barlow explains how his father's passing influenced his motivation for writing Neck Deep's most recent album. Ben connects his father's death and the album by stating, "It's definitely opened my mind up creatively, it's gonna be a little ball of inspiration that I can kind of pick at, I guess." On 5 April 2017, the band finished the album and is set to release it on August 18 of the same year. On May 21st Neck Deep released two new songs along with music videos for them. "Where Do We Go When We Go" and "Happy Judgement Day". It was also announced the band worked with Neal Avron and Mike Green on their new album. The band's lead singer, Ben Barlow was quoted saying to Alternative Press "The Peace and the Panic is about how we’ve grown up and experienced life in the last couple of years.". He also commented on two of the new tracks on the album, including the track "Happy Judgement Day" of which Barlow commented, ".is on the panic side, and really, that song is a comment on the current social and political climate.". He also stated "Where Do We Go When We Go" is the last track on the record, and we feel it summarises our mood well. Very directly, the message is: “Fuck all this shit, fuck all the noise, let’s just make something of ourselves before our time is up.”
On 4 September 2018, bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans announced the departure from the band. He said that Neck Deep has been a dream coming true but he wanted to pursue his career as a producer.
On 10 September 2018 Neck Deep released a music video for the song "Torn". (Originally made famous by Natalie Imbruglia.) This was the lead single for the Hopeless Records charity compilation album for mental health awareness and suicide prevention, called "Songs That Saved My Life".
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Neck Deep - Orange County, California - 90’s Hardcore
“Neck Deep was an active hardcore band in the Orange County scene of the early ‘90’s. They played some shows with bands like Function, Blackspot and Outspoken. Recorded a 7” in 1992 that contained the tracks “Crossfire” and “Columbus Day” (both tracks can be downloaded free @ http://neckdeep.bandcamp.com/).
Members: ETHAN GUERAMI MATT LENNON CLAY GUCCIONE ALEX OUZONIAN RYAN KELLER CHRIS MITCHELL JASON HAMPTON KELLY NELMS
Label: STATIC/INSTA-NOISE
Sites: http://www.myspace.com/neckdeep1 | http://neckdeep.bandcamp.com/
Citizens of Earth
Neck Deep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The fresh faced generation of defect
It's gotta come down before we reach for the reset
This is for the lost, downtrodden and rejects
And anybody looking for a purpose
We all kick our way through streets of grey
Some find hope in a TV screen
But nobody has an answer for anything
And then the 8 Ball said "things don't look great"
You know we can't break loose if we stay in place
Every earthquake starts with a little shake
And then we'll see who is standing in the wasteland
It's just a matter of opinion when it comes down to it
To tell the truth I never listen, just grit my teeth and split
It's just a matter of opinion when it comes down to it
But no one ever fucking listens
Yeah no one ever fucking listens
So you can take your damn opinion and fucking suck it
And then the 8 Ball said "things don't look great"
You know we can't break loose if we stay in place
Every earthquake starts with a little shake
And then we'll see who is standing in the wasteland
And then the 8 Ball said "things don't look great"
You know we can't break loose if we stay in place
Every earthquake starts with a little shake
And then we'll see who is standing in the wasteland
And then the 8 Ball said "things don't look great"
You know we can't break loose if we stay in place
Every earthquake starts with a little shake
And then we'll see who is standing in the wasteland
The first verse of Neck Deep's "Citizens of Earth" highlights the current generation's sense of despair and hopelessness. The lyrics suggest that the world is in a state of descent and that the younger generation is plagued by a sense of defect and lack of purpose. The world is painted as one of monotony, with grey streets and a general sense of apathy. Despite this, the verse suggests that there are still people holding onto hope, whether it's through religion, a television screen, or some other form of escape.
The chorus of the song appears to be an allegory for the current state of the world. The 8 ball stating that "things don't look great" implies that there is a level of uncertainty and insecurity surrounding the future. The idea that "every earthquake starts with a little shake" suggests that the current global situation is unstable and may collapse at some point in time. The reference to standing in the wasteland is a metaphor for the aftermath of such a collapse.
The second verse highlights the lack of communication and the way that people often hold onto their own opinions rather than listening to others. The reference to gritting teeth and splitting implies a level of aggression and unwillingness to compromise. The final lines of the verse are particularly poignant, with the idea that "no one ever fucking listens" suggesting that the world is in a state of chaos because people refuse to work together.
Overall, "Citizens of Earth" is a song that highlights the current sense of unease and despair among younger generations. It touches on issues such as apathy, a lack of communication, and a sense of uncertainty for the future.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the age of descent
We live in a time of decline
The fresh faced generation of defect
Our youth are flawed and broken
It's gotta come down before we reach for the reset
Things need to fall apart before we can start again
This is for the lost, downtrodden and rejects
This is a song for those who feel lost, beaten down, and unwanted
And anybody looking for a purpose
And for anyone seeking meaning in life
We all kick our way through streets of grey
We all struggle to find our way through a dull and uninspiring world
Some find hope in a TV screen
Some find solace in mindless entertainment
But nobody has an answer for anything
But nobody really knows what to do
And no one can seem to agree
And no one can come to a consensus on what's best
And then the 8 Ball said "things don't look great"
Metaphorically, the future doesn't look promising
You know we can't break loose if we stay in place
We can't make progress if we don't take risks and make changes
Every earthquake starts with a little shake
Change often starts small before growing into something bigger
And then we'll see who is standing in the wasteland
We'll see who can weather the storm and emerge triumphant
It's just a matter of opinion when it comes down to it
Ultimately, everyone has their own perspective
To tell the truth I never listen, just grit my teeth and split
Admittedly, the singer doesn't always listen to others' opinions and tends to leave when things get tough
But no one ever fucking listens
But it seems like no one ever listens to anyone else either
Yeah no one ever fucking listens
Yes, it really does seem like everyone is just talking over each other
So you can take your damn opinion and fucking suck it
So if you don't agree with me, you can go to hell
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind