Rain in July is the first EP by Welsh pop punk band Neck Deep.
Rain in July | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
EP by | ||||
Released | 18 September 2012 | |||
Recorded | July 2012, Celestial Recordings, Wrexham | |||
Genre | Pop punk • emo | |||
Length | 16:42 | |||
Label | We Are Triumphant | |||
Producer | Sebastian Barlow | |||
Neck Deep chronology | ||||
|
Background and production
editVocalist Ben Barlow met lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts when Barlow's older brother, Seb, was recording the Wrexham hardcore band Spires that Roberts played in.[1] At the time, Ben Barlow wrote pop punk songs on his own for fun.[1] On 19 April 2012[2] the duo posted the song "What Did You Expect?" online under the name Neck Deep.[1] According to Roberts, Barlow "literally said, 'What about Neck Deep [as the band name]?' and that was that."[1] The name comes from the Crucial Dudes' song "Boom, Roasted".[3] "What Did You Expect?" soon gained attention online.[1]
This resulted in the duo adding guitarist Matt West, who also played in Spires, and drummer Dani Washington, who was aware of Wrexham's local music scene.[1] Bassist Fil Thorpe-Evans joined shortly after leaving Lincoln post-hardcore band Climates.[1] "I Couldn't Wait to Leave 6 Months Ago " was posted online on 8 June.[4] On 11 June, it was announced the band had signed to US label We Are Triumphant.[5] In July,[6] the band recorded more songs with Seb Barlow in the attic of Ben's home,[1] dubbed Celestial Recordings.[6] The recordings were then mixed by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtletone Studios.[6] The EP contains "six songs about girls and one song about posers", according to Rock Sound's Ollie Pelling.[7] Barlow wrote "A Part of Me" when he was 16 "about a girl who I was crazy about."[8]
Release and reception
editRain in July was made available for streaming via AbsolutePunk on 17 September 2012 and was released a day later[9] through We Are Triumphant. Barlow dubbed the character on the artwork Ned the Head.[10] The band's sound has elements of The Story So Far and City Lights.[9] On 28 October, a music video was released for "I Couldn’t Wait to Leave 6 Months Ago".[11] In November, the EP was released on vinyl via Hang Tight.[12] According to Barlow, "People took notice [of the band] and demanded that we play shows."[1] The band supported With the Punches and Me Vs Hero in the UK in December.[12] The 3 December date of tour was the band's live debut.[13] On 20 January 2013 a music video was released for "Over and Over".[14]
The EP was remixed and remastered as part of the compilation Rain in July / A History of Bad Decisions, released on Hopeless on 17 June 2014.[15] It was released to capitalize on the band's popularity at the time.[16] Barlow said that this compilation would be "definitive release of [these] songs".[17] 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!"[17]
Rock Sound reviewer Ollie Pelling wrote that despite "looking distinctly average on paper, Neck Deep are more than distinctly average."[7] He mentioned that listeners "won't find many bands writing better pop-punk hooks".[7] He ended with calling the EP "derivative, but there's enough passion, energy and talent here to make it count."[7]
Track listing
editPersonnel
editPersonnel adapted from the booklet/sleeve of the Rain in July / A History of Bad Decisions compilation.[6][18]
|
|
References
edit- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bird 2014, p. 59
- ^ "What Did You Expect? - Neck Deep". Neck Deep. 19 April 2012. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- ^ McMahon, ed. 2014, p. 24
- ^ "I Couldn't Wait to Leave 6 Months Ago - Neck Deep". Neck Deep. 8 June 2012. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- ^ "Neck Deep Media - Signing Announcement :: We Are Triumphant Records Sign Neck Deep". neckdeepmedia.com. 11 June 2012. Archived from the original on 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Rain in July / A History of Bad Decisions (Sleeve). Neck Deep. Hopeless. 2014. HR795-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b c d Pelling 2013, p. 84
- ^ Barlow 2016, p. 63
- ^ a b Wagner, Christian (17 September 2012). "Featured Stream: Neck Deep EP". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on 3 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ McMahon ed. 2017, p. 42
- ^ Kraus, Brian (28 October 2012). "Neck Deep release video for "I Couldn't Wait To Leave 6 Months Ago"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ a b Kraus, Brian (5 November 2012). "Neck Deep releasing 'Rain In July' on vinyl, announce UK dates". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ Bird 2014, p. 60
- ^ Kraus, Brian (20 January 2013). "Neck Deep release video for "Over And Over"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ Bear, Alex (12 May 2014). "Neck Deep to re-release 'Rain In July' and 'A History of Bad Decisions'". idobi.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
- ^ BenG (21 July 2014). "Review: Neck Deep - Rain In July / A History Of Bad Decisions (Album)". AltSounds. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Neck Deep reissuing EPs as album". bigcheesemagazine.com. 19 May 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ Rain in July / A History of Bad Decisions (Booklet). Neck Deep. Hopeless. 2014. HR795-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
- Sources
- Barlow, Ben (20 February 2016). McMahon, James (ed.). "The Ultimate Rockstar Test: Ben Barlow". Kerrang! (1607). London: Bauer Media Group. ISSN 0262-6624.
- Bird, Ryan (September 2014). Bird, Ryan (ed.). "Smokin' Aces". Rock Sound (191). London: Freeway Press Inc. ISSN 1465-0185.
- McMahon, James, ed. (26 July 2014). "Always Meet Your Heroes!". Kerrang! (1527). London: Bauer Media Group. ISSN 0262-6624.
- McMahon, James, ed. (12 August 2017). "Deep Impact". Kerrang! (1683). London: Bauer Media Group. ISSN 0262-6624.
- Pelling, Ollie (April 2013). Patashnik, Ben (ed.). "Reviews". Rock Sound (172). London: Freeway Press Inc. ISSN 1465-0185.
External links
edit- Rain in July at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)