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".
********
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/
Critical Mistake
Neck Deep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
First new message:
Why do I even bother calling you
I've called you sixteen times today
And I know you've been online
So stop ignoring me
I made a critical mistake in a momentary lapse of judgement
To remind me of the ways I fucked up
So then I'll take all the blame
It all just feels the same
And we move on
Then I screw it up again
Are you noticing a trend?
Should I go on?
So I said
I could be everything you need
If you could learn to be someone else
I keep trying to bridge the distance
You've been thinking about yourself
It's the way you want the world to be
It's the way you want the world to be
I'm the sinner, you're a saint
You will always have your way
Will you let go?
But when a cynic and a snake come together
It could take a miracle
But it only lasts so long
I know it won't be long 'till I screw up
Can we start it all again
And go back to when we were both wrong?
'Cause we're both wrong
So I said
I could be everything you need
If you could learn to be someone else
I keep trying to bridge the distance
You've been thinking about yourself
It's the way you want the world to be
It's the way you want the world to be
And it all just seemed too perfect to be true
There's nothing perfect about me and you
And I tried to see the best
But I saw right through you
And I know I could be better
But you won't let me forget
That it always seemed so perfect when I played it in my head
You made a critical mistake in a momentary lapse of judgement
Now I'm walking out the door
Like all the times before
Guess I fucked up
So I said
I could be everything you need
If you could learn to be someone else
I keep trying to bridge the distance
You've been thinking about yourself
It's the way you want the world to be
It's the way you want the world to be
I could be everything you need
If you could learn to be someone else
The song "Critical Mistake" by Neck Deep tells the story of a relationship in turmoil. The lyrics start with the singer checking their phone and finding sixteen missed calls from their partner. The partner is upset and leaving messages saying that they have been ignored. The singer wishes that their partner would just communicate with them instead of shutting them out.
The next set of lyrics reveal that the singer has made a mistake that has hurt their partner. The singer is taking the blame for the mistake, but they feel like their partner is not being honest with them. The singer is trying to bridge the distance between them, but their partner is only thinking about themselves. The lyrics also hint that the relationship is not a good match and that the two are fundamentally different. Despite this, they keep trying to make it work.
The final verse shows that the situation has become overwhelming for the singer. They are tired of trying to fix things and feeling like they are not appreciated. They realize that it's time to walk away from the relationship, even though it's not the first time they've tried to end things. In the end, the singer acknowledges that they could be everything their partner needs if only they would learn to be someone else.
Overall, the song explores themes of communication, sacrifice, and acceptance in relationships. The constant back and forth between the singer and their partner shows how difficult it can be to navigate a relationship when both parties have different wants and needs.
Line by Line Meaning
You have sixteen new messages
The person being addressed has 16 unread messages waiting for them.
First new message: Why do I even bother calling you. I've called you sixteen times today. And I know you've been online. So stop ignoring me
The sender of the message is frustrated that the person being addressed is not answering their calls despite being online and having received 16 calls. They want them to stop ignoring them.
I made a critical mistake in a momentary lapse of judgement. Now you've called me up again. To remind me of the ways I fucked up. So then I'll take all the blame. It all just feels the same. And we move on. Then I screw it up again. Are you noticing a trend? Should I go on? So I said
The singer admits to making a mistake and being called out on it by the person they are addressing. They take responsibility for their actions and are frustrated with themselves for making the same mistake repeatedly. They feel as though they are in a cycle of messing up and disappointing the person they care about.
I could be everything you need. If you could learn to be someone else. I keep trying to bridge the distance. You've been thinking about yourself. It's the way you want the world to be. It's the way you want the world to be
The singer wants to be what the person they care about needs, but feels as though the other person is too focused on themselves and their own wants and needs. They are trying to bridge the gap between them, but the other person is not reciprocating. They feel as though the other person wants the world to fit their ideal instead of working together to create a better reality.
I'm the sinner, you're a saint. You will always have your way. Will you let go? But when a cynic and a snake come together. It could take a miracle. But it only lasts so long. I know it won't be long 'till I screw up. Can we start it all again. And go back to when we were both wrong? 'Cause we're both wrong. So I said
The singer sees themselves as flawed compared to the person they care about, who they view as perfect. They feel as though the other person always gets what they want and have different personalities, which may cause conflicts in the future. They ask for a chance to start over and share the blame with the other person, acknowledging that they both made mistakes in the past.
And it all just seemed too perfect to be true. There's nothing perfect about me and you. And I tried to see the best. But I saw right through you. And I know I could be better. But you won't let me forget. That it always seemed so perfect when I played it in my head
The singer is acknowledging that their relationship is not perfect and there are flaws in both of them. They attempted to look past the imperfections of the other person, but ultimately could not ignore them. They want to improve themselves, but feel as though the other person is constantly reminding them of their mistakes. They reflect on their idealized version of the relationship that existed only in their mind.
You made a critical mistake in a momentary lapse of judgement. Now I'm walking out the door. Like all the times before. Guess I fucked up. So I said
The person being addressed made a mistake and the singer has decided to leave, as they have done in the past. The singer acknowledges that they are also at fault for the current state of their relationship.
I could be everything you need. If you could learn to be someone else
The singer still wants to be what the other person needs, but only if they can work on themselves and not be so focused on their own desires.
I keep trying to bridge the distance. You've been thinking about yourself. It's the way you want the world to be. It's the way you want the world to be
The singer has been attempting to close the gap between them, but feels as though the other person is only focusing on themselves and their own wants and desires. The other person wants the world to fit their own expectations rather than working together towards a better reality.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Benedict Kieran James Barlow, Daniel Washington, Matthew Richard West, Philip Michael Thorpe-Evans, Samuel Joseph Bowden
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind