Neck Deep- Wishful Thinking The UK pop punk music scene has been upsettingly quiet in recent years, with the American bands taking the opportunity to dominate the genre, as they have done in the past two decades with the likes of Blink 182 and more recently, Man Overboard. However, times are changing, and it looks like the catalyst could be Neck Deep who have exploded onto the scene with their debut album, Wishful Thinking. The five-piece have been around for almost two years and could be considered newcomers to the music business, but listen to this record and you could be fooled into thinking that they are pop-punk veterans. The album consists of 12 potential classics, all of which linger around the three minute mark. 'Losing Teeth' opens the album in a fashion which will have you fist-pumping and reminiscing about those days spent as a teenager, worrying about the issues which now appear minor life-niggles. The album sticks to this care-free attitude to what people think not fitting in through the medium of fast-paced, bouncy tracks. However, one exception in this record is the track 'Candour' which may catch you off guards. Concluding this record is a much gentler track, almost there to give you a break from fancy guitar riffs and mini-break downs before you go back to the beginning to get another listen of this piece of sheer brilliance. These lads from Wrexham are attempting to reignite the pop punk scene in this country and Wishful Thinking looks set to do that, with the majority of their album-supporting tour being sold out. Listen to this album and you will realise why. AG
Blitz Kids- Good Youth The month of January is proving to be a fantastic time for British rock music, and the Blitz Kids latest album, Good Youth, is certainly no exception. 'All I Want Is Everything' is the opening track, and where the title of this record originated from. "We are the good youth" perhaps highlights some of the negative things which are being reported about this generation, and this track is a reassurance that things are not always that way. There are some dark moments within this album, and 'On My Own' is an example of this. Lead vocalist Joe James has previously admitted that he has experienced some tough times during his time in the band which nearly resulted in his departure. Fear not though, it's clear that things could not be better between this four-piece. Every aspect of this record has been carefully constructed to sound it does and to put out a message to its listeners, but in particular the lyrics. This album represents a lot of the tough times the band have had to deal with, including band-member departures, alcohol, and anxiety. However the under-lying message is that these issues which many can relate to, are not the be all and end all, they can be dealt with and it is possible to move on. Blitz Kids have produced a rock album which refuses to dance around serious issues through the use of clichĂŠs, and that is why this album is going to kick-start something special for these four lads. Listen to Good Youth, and support this fantastic British band. AG